File:3rd Infantry - Columbia - Iran - Challenger - Arlington National Cemetery - 2011.JPG

English: Looking east across Section 46 of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, in the United States. There are three large memorial markers to the left. They are (l to r): Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial, Iran Hostage Rescue Mission Memorial, and the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial.

The large pylon in the background is the 3rd Infantry Monument. President George H.W. Bush signed legislation on September 29, 1988, approving the establishment of a memorial to the 3rd Infantry Division on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. The nine-ton grey granite obelisk, set about 15 feet back from the roadside, is inscribed with a dedication to the unit. A marker consisting of a bronze plaque attached to a grey granite stone sits by the walkway, and lists battles fought by the 3rd Infantry. The marker contains two typographical errors: It says "WW 1" (a numeral one, rather than a Roman numeral one), and "WW11" (two numeral ones, rather than two Roman numeral ones). The monument was dedicated on August 15, 1990.

In the background to the right is Memorial Amphitheater.

The Space Shuttle Columbia broke up and was destroyed on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003. President George W. Bush signed legislation on April 16, 2003, establishing a memorial to the disaster. Artist Barbara Prey designed the bronze plaque which is affixed to the grey granite marker. The memorial was dedicated on February 2, 2002.

The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff on January 28, 1986. The remains of Captain Michael Smith and Commander Francis "Dick" Scobee were identified and interred at Arlington. The remains of the five other individuals aboard the shuttle could not (at that time) be identified, and were cremated. A group burial occurred near Scobee's grave in Section 46. On June 12, 1986, Congress passed legislation establishing a Space Shuttle Challenger memorial. The families agreed to erect the memorial on top of the grave holding the cremated remains. Artist Robert Harding designed the bronze plaque which is affixed to the front of the monument. The poem "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee, Jr., is inscribed on the memorial's rear. The memorial was dedicated on March 21, 1987, by Vice President George H.W. Bush.

On November 4, 1979, an Iranian mob seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 66 Americans hostage. With the hostage crisis continuing and no resolution in sight, President Jimmy Carter authorized a secret military operation to rescue the hostages. During a rendezvous in the Iranian desert in a sandstorm on April 25, 1980, two of the aircraft involved in the rescue mission collided. Eight American military personnel died. Their bodies were returned to the United States. The hostages were freed on January 20, 1981. A memorial to the memory of the eight dead was dedicated on April 25, 1983.

The Iran Rescue Mission Memorial was moved a short distance to be next to the Space Shuttle Columbia and Space Shuttle Challenger memorials.