'At the Foot of the Cross': Arlington Chaplains Bear a Nation's Gratitude and a Family's Grief

At Arlington National Cemetery, the honor bestowed upon fallen heroes is carried out with solemn military precision. Within that sacred protocol, chaplains serve a unique dual role: expressing a nation's formal gratitude while offering pastoral comfort to families in their deepest grief.

"I'm not sure that there's been another place that has underscored honor to me more than Arlington National Cemetery," said Captain Andrew Lloyd, an Air Force chaplain and Regent University graduate serving at Arlington. "We stand beside and work with the young men and women in the Honor Guard who are professionally trained to guard that honor. Then we turn around and help articulate it."

Arlington, one of more than 170 national cemeteries, is hallowed ground for America's heroes. With up to 28 military funerals conducted each day across its 640 acres, the emotional weight is constant for the chaplains and their counterparts who serve there.

For Captain Lloyd, the role requires a delicate balance. "I'm dual-hatted in the moment," he explained. "I view my role as part of the Air Force's ceremonial honor to express the gratitude of this nation for that service member. And also, as a pastor. Based on the faith decision that family has invited us into, we're also pastoring that family through a moment of grief."

With more than 430,000 souls laid to rest at Arlington, the chaplains' work is both a profound privilege and a heavy burden. They serve alongside Jewish rabbis and Catholic priests in what they describe as one of America's most pluralistic institutions. For them, personal faith isn't a shield from the pain of constant loss—it's the anchor within it.

"There is a heavy burden of grief. We bear witness to folks' grief every single day," said Army Chaplain Shannon Demoret. "It is such an honor and privilege for me, but it can be a heavy burden as well, so I have to rely heavily on my faith—and prayer." She describes laying that burden "at the foot of the cross every night," trusting the families she serves into God's care.

Before becoming a military chaplain, Demoret pastored a Colorado church for 15 years. Now, she may officiate up to six funerals a day, sharing the love of God with grieving families while holding in view what each white marble stone represents.

"I think each headstone here at Arlington is a reminder that every life is precious," Chaplain Demoret reflected. "That each person represents the image of God and that every story is important, both to the fabric of our country and to our nation's history. But also to their loved ones and the people they've known along the way."

The chaplains say their own faith is tested and refined in this sacred space, shaping them to better serve those searching for meaning in the face of loss.

"I believe my role as the chaplain is to be that conduit of God's grace and presence," Demoret said. "It's being a compassionate, steady presence, a balance of military formality and also God's grace. It's speaking God's truth and promises while standing with them in their moment of grief. It's such a tender moment in committal."

For Captain Lloyd, the environment is a sobering reminder to lean on his own faith. "To lean on the hope I have in Christ," he said. "Sometimes, many times, it's just about being a presence in the room and not saying anything at all."

In this landscape of sacrifice, chaplains carry a message for the living from a nation's most sacred ground: that true strength is found not in having all the answers, but in showing up with faith, regardless of where the battle may rise.