Three months before assassinated, John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie stood by Arlington House above the cemetery, gazing at Washington in the distance. The couple had just lost their second child at birth and trying to deal with the moment.

“I could look at this view forever,” John said.

And that’s why the Eternal Flame is just below that hillside

The family wanted Kennedy buried in Boston where he’s from. But, Jackie remembered that moment and said JFK belonged to the nation. She ordered that spot along with an eternal flame like one she saw in Paris.

Time has passed. Jackie is now buried alongside her husband and those two children. The flame has been replaced several times, but extinguished just once when a group pouring holy water overdid it. Chains moved people farther away after that.

A few years ago, I led a school group to the flame. To them, it was just another president’s grave. That’s really shocking because Kennedy’s death was an unforgettable moment in people’s lives. I told them to ask their grandparents about JFK. Tell them what they saw at the grave.

This is exactly why I’m a tour guide. Our past is quickly forgotten if we let it.