Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr. began his adventures at an early age. When he was only 12 years old, he took an unescorted trip around the world, which convinced him to spend his life as an adventurer. By the time he died at age 69, Byrd had achieved what no other person had achieved. He had flown over both poles, led several extended expeditions into the Antarctic interior (one of which nearly cost him his life), received more than 20 commendations for bravery or conspicuous conduct, and won the adulation of his country.

Born in Winchester, Virginia, Byrd attended the University of Virginia before entering the United States Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1912. In 1915, after only three years of active service, Byrd was forced to retire, abandoning his dream of a naval career. The Navy had determined that he was physically unable to serve because of a leg injury he had suffered while captain of the academy gymnastics team. However, upon the United States' entry into World War I, Byrd returned to duty in the Navy's aviation branch. He earned his wings in 1918 flying solo with only six hours instruction. During the war, he served as commander of a Navy patrol squadron based in Canada.

After flying over sea, ice, and glaciers in western Greenland during an expedition with Commander D.B. MacMillan in 1924, Byrd set his sights on an airborne expedition to the North Pole. On May 9, 1926, he and his copilot Floyd Bennett left their base in Spitsbergen, Norway, aboard their Fokker trimotor plane, Josephine Ford. They completed the 1,500-mile flight to the Pole, suffering no greater malfunction than a minor oil leak. The explorers returned to a heroes' welcome, and were each presented a Congressional Medal of Honor by President Calvin Coolidge, a rare peacetime achievement.

Next Byrd attempted an Atlantic crossing. In June 19278, with three companions, including Bernt Balchen, Byrd reached the cost of France, but was forced to crash-land his plane at Ver-sur-Mer after 42 hours of flight. For this extraordinary flight he was named a commandant in the Legion d'Honneur.

Searching for other uncharted skies, Byrd announced his intention to explore the unknown regions of the Antarctic from the air. In 1928, he sailed to the area known as Bay of Whales, Antarctica, and established Little America, a base that remains today. On November 29, 1929, during the Antarctic spring, Byrd, Balchen, and two other men took off from their base at Little America, and flew to the South Pole. The plane, named Floyd Bennett, after Byrd's friend and poplar companion, took 19 hours to complete the world-record flight. For this achievement Byrd was promoted to rear admiral, retired.

In 1933, Byrd headed yet another expedition to the Antarctic to map and explore new regions around the Pole. During the winter of 1934, Byrd stayed alone in a weather observation shed 125 miles from any other human being. We know from Byrd's notes that with temperatures between -58 and -76 degrees Fahrenheit, he could hear his breath freeze as it drifted from his lips, making crackling noises like little firecrackers. After five months in this self-impose solitary confinement, during which he made no mention of any problems in his radio transmission to Little America, Byrd became seriously ill. When crew members of the base camp became alarmed by incoherent reports from Byrd, a rescue team set out to investigate. They arrived to find Byrd suffering from frostbite and carbon monoxide poisoning, a result of an improperly vented oil-burning stove. Too weak to travel, Byrd was cared for in the hut for two months before he could return to Little American.

The episode permanently impaired his health and restricted his future activities. Admiral Byrd recounted this grueling adventure in his book, "Alone," published in 1938.

Byrd went on to lead three more expeditions to the Antarctic as director of the newly established Antarctic Service. During World War II, he served on the staff of the chief of naval operations. In 1955, he was named head of "Operation Deep Freeze," which was the United States' contribution to the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58. It was during this project that Byrd took his last flight over the South Pole on January 8, 1956. He died in Boston the following year and was buried with full military honors at Arlington.

Two monuments honor Admiral Byrd at Arlington. The first marks his grave in Section 2. It is a regulation headstone, engraved in gold to signify his receipt of the Congressional Medal of Honor. The other monument is located on the north side of Memorial Drive along the approach to the cemetery's main gates. Erected by the National Geographic Society, it is a life-size statue of Admiral Byrd and the base is inscribed: "Upon this bright globe he carved his signature of courage." The sculpture was created by Felix de Weldon (who also sculpted the Seabees Monument and the Marine Corps Memorial) in 1961.

Peters, James Edward. Arlington National Cemetery: Shrine to America's Heroes. Woodbine House, 2000.

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