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An extraordinary journey behind the scenes of Arlington National Cemetery, Senator Tom Cotton\\u2019s Sacred Duty offers an intimate and inspiring portrait of \\u201cThe Old Guard,\\u201d the revered U.S. Army unit whose mission is to honor our country\\u2019s fallen heroes on the most hallowed ground in America.

Cotton was a platoon leader with the storied 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment\\u2014The Old Guard\\u2014between combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the height of the Iraq Surge, he carried the flag-draped remains of his fallen comrades off of airplanes at Dover Air Force Base, and he laid them to rest in Arlington\\u2019s famed Section 60, \\u201cthe saddest acre in America.\\u201d  He also performed hundreds of funerals for veterans of the Greatest Generation, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

The Old Guard has embodied the ideals of honor and sacrifice across our nation\\u2019s history. America\\u2019s oldest active-duty regiment, dating back to 1784, The Old Guard conducts daily military-honor funerals on the 624 rolling acres of Arlington, where generations of American heroes rest. Its soldiers hold themselves to the standard of perfection in sweltering heat, frigid cold, and driving rain. Every funeral is a no-fail, zero-defect mission, whether honoring a legendary general or a humble private.

In researching and writing the book, Cotton returned to Arlington and shadowed the regiment\\u2019s soldiers, from daily funerals to the state funeral of President George H. W. Bush to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, reliving the honor\\u2014and the challenges\\u2014of duty at the nation\\u2019s \\u201cmost sacred shrine.\\u201d

Part history of The Old Guard, part memoir of Cotton\\u2019s time at Arlington, part intimate profile of the today\\u2019s soldiers, Sacred Duty is an unforgettable testament to the timeless power of service and sacrifice to our nation.