The Fate of the Unknowns At Aging Arlington Memorial, Debating Repair vs. Replacement ...the moment was almost perfect: Few seemed focused on the jagged crack that zigzagged through the 48-ton stone like a scar, or the dings and chips in its surface. But away from the scene in Arlington National Cemetery last week, debate raged over the fate of the nation's legendary icon to its unknown war dead. The cemetery has long wanted the tomb's weathered aboveground monument replaced. Preservationists want it repaired and retained The debate goes back years and pits two potent sensibilities: interest in historic preservation and the desire for perfection at the most famous memorial in the nation's most famous cemetery. Argument has gone back and forth, mostly out of the public eye, although it is picking up and is "very much alive," said Richard Moe, president of the Washington-based National Trust for Historic Preservation <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/National+Trust+for+Hist\ oric+Preservation?tid=informline> . "As a matter of fact, it is currently quite hot." From: Click here: The Fate of the Unknowns <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/13/AR20071\ 01301202_pf.html>
