The west side of a tomb facing the amphitheater in the Arlington, Virginia, cemetery has an inscription which reads “Here Rests in Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God.”

The Vietnam War left this country with more remains of loved ones than names. Weeding through the masses of the unnamed deceased, one body was chosen to be placed in the most powerful war memorial of our time — The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Along with individual crypts from World War I, World War II and the Korean War, the Vietnam veteran was laid to rest in the country’s most prestigious cemetery as a symbol for all who gave their lives fighting for the United States.

Families and friends who have lost loved ones in what is considered the most controversial war in this country’s history have gained some sort of solace from the hope that this unknown soldier is their son, husband or father.

Now after 14 years of adjustment and acceptance, science has literally decided to ‘dig up’ the buried past.

At 7:50 last Thursday morning, the crypt of the unknown Vietnam veteran was exhumed from his guarded resting place for the purpose of identification. New and cutting-edge DNA technology tentatively promises to identify the mystery man who was laid in the tomb in 1984.

One question remains blazing in my head: Why?

What purpose does dredging up the past serve? The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier represents a dream of hope. Wives and mothers grew to dream that their loved one sleeps peacefully in the tomb. Daughters and sons grew up fantasizing that daddy just might be out their somewhere.

The choices of identities for the unknown veteran have been theoretically narrowed down. One suspected candidate is a soldier named Rodney Strobridge.

In one article, Rodney’s mom said she talks to her son everyday. She no longer thinks of the dreams she had for her son.

She has accepted his death and prefers that the issue and the tomb remain shut.

The essence and beauty behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is built around the ideal of honoring the past and moving on.

The sentinels, known as the shadows of those nameless soldiers, protect the history and memories of a time gone by with the utmost respect. These nameless soldiers (they literally wear no nameplates) guard the treasured tomb from sunrise to sunset with perfection and simplicity.

The tomb and its mystery represent something better in humans, something unselfish, something that drives them to accomplish things that only the most difficult times can bring out.

These nameless soldiers gave their country the greatest gift of all — their lives. Why do we need a body to keep the memory alive?

Ellyn Peterson is a graduated senior in jounalism and mass comunication from Algona.