The Unique Grave of Richard Leroy McKinley

The grave of Richard Leroy McKinley stands out among the others in Arlington Cemetery, not just for its unusual white marble but also for the haunting history it represents—America’s first fatal nuclear power plant incident.

McKinley’s burial site is notable as the only radioactive grave in the cemetery. He was interred in a double lead-lined coffin, placed in a 10-foot deep concrete grave enveloped in a metal vault. An additional foot of concrete was poured over the coffin. It’s, well, a bit unsettling when you think about it.

Family members watched his brief eight-minute funeral from a distance of six feet, a heartbreaking sight, really.

Born on December 2, 1933, in Union City, Indiana, he grew up amid a large family in Kenton, Ohio. In 1951, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served in Korea. He married his childhood sweetheart, Caroline Dick, on June 1, 1956, and together they had two children.

Later, he joined the U.S. Army and in 1961, began working at the National Nuclear Reactor Test Station located near Idaho Falls, Idaho. This site was significant for testing nuclear reactors, including one called the Stationary Low Power Reactor No. 1 (SL-1).

Then came January 3, 1961. After a ten-day holiday, operators returned to work at the reactor station. Around 9 p.m., an alarming steam explosion occurred. The tragedy resulted in the deaths of Army Special Forces member John Arthur Burns and Navy Seabee Richard Carleton Legg.

First responders arrived about an hour and a half later, finding two men dead and McKinley, who had survived the explosion, in critical condition. The radiation levels were shockingly high, and he was quickly rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, McKinley passed away just after turning 27, leaving behind a young family.

Today, McKinley’s grave is deemed safe for visitors. As the sole radioactive burial ground in the cemetery, it carries a strict warning in his file. That warning states, “Victim of a nuclear power plant accident. The remains are contaminated with long-lived radioactive isotopes. Under no circumstances will the remains be removed from this site without prior approval from the AEC.”