How does the eternal flame on JFKs grave stay lit? Has it ever gone out?
Two different “eternal” flames have graced the grave of slain President John F. Kennedy. Inspired by the Flame of Remembrance that burns at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, Jackie Kennedy decided she wanted a similar memorial for her husband. The problematic job of designing and building it was assigned to Colonel Clayton B. Lyle, an army engineer. With very little time before the funeral, Lyle and his crew located a luau lamp in a local electrical shop, tested it, and found the flame sufficiently weather resistant. They welded metal strips into a base and searched for a propane company that could supply the fuel. The crew worked all night before the funeral to lay down a gas line to the burial site. And on November 25, 1963, as Lyle and his crew watched anxiously, the flame glowed to life when Jackie Kennedy touched a burning taper to it during her husba
