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Senator McCaskill to Visit Arlington National Cemetery

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill will visit Arlington National Cemetery on Friday to assess changes made there following the revelation that thousands of graves were mislabeled or unmarked.

By Bill Raack (St. Louis)

McCaskill cosponsored a law that requires congressional oversight of the burial grounds. The Democrat  said major changes have been made including the way the cemetery tracks various burial ground locations.

"I will be going back for a full briefing from the military about the changes that have been made, and we'll be looking to see if they've done enough work to reassure hundreds and thousands of families across this nation that their loved one is at rest where they believe their loved one is at rest," she said.

The Veterans Administration manages most of the military burial grounds around the country; only Arlington is managed by the Army.

McCaskill said she will visit a cemetery in the Springfield area run by the VA on Saturday to contrast the way they are managed. She said it's part of an effort to determine if the VA should take over Arlington with the Army handling only ceremonial activities.