Replica of Tomb of the Unknown Soldier coming to Sioux Falls

A half-scale replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider will be on display in July in Sioux Falls as a way to honor the memorial’s 100-year anniversary.

Since 1921, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has stood in Arlington National Cemetery as a way to honor deceased U.S. military members whose remains are unidentified.

The Mary Chilton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is bringing the replica to town July 24 and 25. The replica will be displayed at the South Dakota Military Heritage Alliance from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. 

Debra VanBriesen, a member of the chapter’s commemorative events committee and a co-chair of the event, said it is an honor to bring the replica to South Dakota. 

“We’re very excited to have them in,” VanBriesen said.

“We wanted to give everybody the chance to hear what the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is about. Those whose remains were lost, they don’t really have any place to have closure and connection for their relatives. That memorial really is that connection, and a lot of people don’t know that. I hadn’t really thought about it from that perspective until I got involved with this.”

The DAR is an nonprofit volunteer organization made up of over 190,000 women who are direct descendants of a patriot of the American Revolution, according to its website.

VanBriesen said her chapter promotes commemorative events each year and usually has a variety of choices. While researching events to bring to town, members came across the touring replica.

“It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing,” she said. “We just threw it out there and sent an email, and then everything fell into place with raising money and finding a date.”

Guests will be treated to speakers presenting the history and meaning behind the memorial  in addition to the replica viewing. Live music from the Sioux Falls Municipal Band, the Singing Legionnaires and others also will occur throughout the two-day event. 

VanBriesen said she has many veterans in her family, so the opportunity to bring the replica tomb to town was exciting for her. She hopes the event will help raise awareness for military history as well as provide an experience that one usually can’t get in Sioux Falls. 

“It means a lot to me, especially to bring something like that to Sioux Falls,” she said. “It’s something you would see in (Washington) D.C. or a military base, but not everybody can do that. We want to bring that awareness to everybody in the area because if we don’t know our history, don’t learn it, we’re really missing out on where we’ve been, and we miss out on that for where we’re going.”