Senator Warner appeared before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee today to press the committee to vote to end the practice of reserving gravesites for VIPs at Arlington National Cemetery. Reserving gravesites has been against Army regulations since 1962, but has continued for many years under at least two different Superintendents. An identical bill passed the House three weeks ago.

Senator Warner also discussed the need to press Army officials on improving mismanagement at the Cemetery. Recently, the Senator wrote the Secretary of the Army asking for an update on the status of improvements at the Cemetery. Senator Warner enlisted help from the Northern Virginia Technology Council, which released a pro-bono improvement plan in January. Senator Warner is concerned he’s heard nothing from the Army since that roadmap for improvements at Arlington was submitted.

In addition, Senator Warner mentioned the incredible story of Rickey Gilleland, an 11th-grader and computer whiz from Stafford County, VA. Rickey succeeded in creating a digitized record of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans laid to rest at Arlington. His solution won’t fix all of Arlington’s problems, but it shows that easy, affordable and technologically accessible solutions are possible – if people are willing to think creatively. Senator Warner believes that if an 11th grader can figure it out, the Army should be able to, as well.