Arlington National Cemetery superintendent retiring after 19 years; expanded grounds in tenure

Arlington Cemetery superintendent retiring

WASHINGTON — The superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery for the past 19 years is retiring.

John C. Metzler Jr. has worked for the government for 42 years and says his last day will be July 2.

The 62-year-old’s father was also superintendent at the cemetery outside the nation’s capital.

He says the high point of his career was expanding the cemetery for veterans and their families so it could continue to take new burials until 2060.

In November, Secretary of the Army John McHugh ordered an investigation into allegations of lost accountability of some graves, poor record keeping and other issues at Arlington.

Metzler says those issues weren’t as bad as had been reported.