Prince Harry meets fellow soldiers wounded in war after paying tribute to the nation's fallen at Arlington Cemetery

Prince Harry has said he wants to be a champion of 'wounded warriors' - servicemen and women who have been injured in combat - and today he had his first assignment in the U.S. - as he toured one of the country's largest military medical centers.
Harry's visit to the the Walter Reed National Military Center in Maryland came on the second day of his week-long U.S. tour, which kicked off with visits to Capitol Hill and the White House yesterday, before he paid his respects to fallen soldiers at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia this morning.
Dressed in his Army Air Corps fatigues and desert boots, the 28-year-old Prince, known as Captain Wales in the military, listened intently as he was given a briefing on advances in prosthetics after meeting the center's commander, Rear Admiral Alton Stocks.
He was then shown around the huge complex by Dr Chuck Scoville, chief of rehabilitation, including a demonstration in a revolutionary Computer Assisted Rehab simulator.
He watched as an double amputee army specialist injured on in Afghanistan - who could not be identified for security reasons - demonstrated what he had been learning on the machine which is used to help wounded soldiers normalise their balance.
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Royal visit: Prince Harry chats with Staff Sgt. Timothy Payne, who lost his legs while serving in Afghanistan, during a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center

Inspirational: Staff Sgt. Payne, who lost both of his legs while serving in Kandahar, told Harry of his injuries: 'It's all mind over matter'

Impressed: Prince Harry was taken aback by the advanced technology at the Walter Reed Memorial, where he chatted with fellow servicemen who had been injured

 

'You obviously been doing it for hours,' Harry said as he walked in the room. 'How long have you been on this?'
'This is my first day,' the soldier replied.
When the medical staff told him to hold his arms up above his head, Harry joked: 'Like Iron Man' before adding: 'We've got nothing like this back in the UK. You guys as Americans are used to the technology, we are always behind.'

Harry was also pictured chatting with Staff Sgt. Payne, who lost both of his legs while serving in Kandahar. 'It's all mind over matter,' he told the prince.
Along with his brother, Prince William, who is a Search and Rescue pilot in the RAF, and sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, Harry has set up his own charitable foundation.

One of its primary concerns is to promote  the welfare of those who are serving or who have served their country in the Armed Forces – not just those who have been injured but military men and women who trying to assimilate back into civilian life.
This weekend he will attend the 2013 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, which involves more than 200 injured servicemen and women – including a team from the UK –competing in a variety of events at the US Olympic Training Centre including archery, volleyball and cycling.

Tour: Prince Harry chats with a wounded serviceman as he is shown around the Walter Reid Memorial Center in Maryland on Friday morning

Making friends: The 28-year-old prince, who has just returned from Afghanistan, seemed at ease as he chatted with the servicemen at the medical center

Advocate: Prince Harry, pictured arriving at the Walter Reid Memorial on Friday morning, has said he wants to be a champion of 'wounded warriors'

Sharing stories: Harry, pictured speaking with another wounded soldier, expressed how impressed he was with the modern technology at the center

Treatment: He spends time with wounded warriors undergoing physical therapy at the Military Advanced Training Center of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

He is also taking part with a team of amputees undertaking a perilous trek to the South Pole in November as part of the Walking With The Wounded South Pole Allied Challenge 2013.
The visit to the hospital came after Harry paid his respects to the country's fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery - a somber visit that was in stark contrast to the hysteria on his arrival in the U.S. on Thursday.
The prince, himself a soldier, visited the site in Virginia, an extraordinary peaceful and beautiful spot overlooking Washington, sheltered by oaks and dogwoods, on Friday morning.
Wearing the No. 1 Ceremonial Dress of the Blues and Royals, to which he is still formally attached, as well as his light blue Army Air Corps beret, Harry, 28, who recently served himself in Afghanistan as an Apache attack helicopter pilot, appeared genuinely moved by the experience.
His first stop was at Section 60, the resting place of those who have lost their lives in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he placed a wreath on a grave.

Somber: England's Prince Harry visits Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Friday to pay his respects to fallen soldiers

Moving tribute: Prince Harry, himself a soldier, places a wreath at the grave of US Army Specialist Michael L Stansbery Jr, who died in 2010

Official: Prince Harry pays his respects to the victims of the Afghanistan conflict and the tomb of the unknown soldier accompanied by Major General Michael Linnington

The headstone of US Army Specialist Michael L Stansbery Jr, who died in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on July 30, 2010, aged 21, was chosen at random from the thousands of graves.
It bore a handwritten note reading: 'In grateful memory of all those who have given their lives in the cause of freedom. Captain Harry Wales'.

After placing the wreath the Prince stood to attention and saluted the grave, before walking alone through the rows of headstones surrounding it, pausing several times to read individual inscriptions.
As a serving officer who has recently returned from Afghanistan himself, Harry - who is known as Captain Wales in the Army Air Corps - was keen to personally pay his respects.

Touching: A card from Prince Harry is part of a wreath that the Prince will place at Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, where veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried

Dapper: Prince Harry wore the No. 1 Ceremonial Dress of the Blues and Royals, to which he is still officially attached

Reflection: Harry visited the cemetery in Virginia after spending time with military families at the White House on Thursday afternoon

 

After the hysteria that greeted the prince’s arrival in Washington on Thursday, it also provided a moment of solemnity and, for Harry, a chance to focus on why he is in the US: the extraordinary commitment and sacrifice of injured servicemen and women both side of the Atlantic.
Although Friday's scenes were much quieter, crowds of people - mainly women - still gathered outside the cemetery for a glimpse at the third in line to the throne.
After laying the wreath, Harry moved onto the graveside of iconic former US President John F Kennedy, who was assassinated on November 22, 1963 as he drove in a motorcade through Dallas.
As he visited JFK's grave the prince knelt on one knee and placed a mixed bouquet of flowers on the tombstone, which lies next to an eternal flame, then stood to attention, bowed his head and paused for a moment in quiet reflection.
Visiting dignitaries do not usually visit Kennedy's grave, but the Prince made the gesture because November marks the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination.
Harry spent around five minutes in all at the grave, talking to Patrick Hallinan, superintendent of the cemetery.

A moment of quiet: Prince Harry wanders through the graves, reading the names of soldiers who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan from the headstones in silence

Laid to rest: Arlington is the final resting place for 400,000 active servicemen and women as well as veterans and their families

Paying his respects: He accepts a wreath from a member of The Old Guard during a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns

Tradition: Prince Harry lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which contains the body of an unidentified First World War soldier

Historic: Harry lays a wreath at the memorial of President John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. This November marks 50 years since his assassination

Crowds: Prince Harry lays a wreath at JFK memorial accompanied by the daughter of Patrick Hallinan the Supt. of the cemetery at Arlington National Cemetery

From there the Prince made brief visits to the graves of Major General Orde Wingate, a British officer who died in an air crash in 1944 along with US servicemen, and of Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, a Medal of Honor recipient.
He completed the visit by laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb contains the body of an unidentified First World War soldier, and has been guarded continuously since 1937.
Designed to honor those who have died for their nation, Arlington is the final resting place for more than 400,000 active duty servicemen and women, veterans and their families.
It also hosts more than 3,000 ceremonies each year and is a rite of passage for visiting dignitaries.
Speaking about the trip recently, his Principle Private Secretary, Jamie, Lowther-Pinketon said: 'Prince Harry wants to highlight once again the extraordinary commitment and sacrifice of our injured servicemen and women – our 'wounded warriors'.
'I’m sure it comes as no surprise to any of you that helping to rehabilitate wounded sailors, soldiers, airmen and Royal Marines who have given so much to us and to our Country lies at the very heart of what both Princes wish to do.

Ceremony: Members of the US Army march during Prince Harry's arrival in Arlington, Virginia

Fans: People flocked to Arlington Cemetery for a glimpse of the prince, who is in the United States for a week to visit charities

Harrymania: Supporters prepare their cameras ahead of Harry's arrival during the second day of his visit. He attracted crowds of women on his first day

Getting a glimpse: Young girls on a school trip prepare to take pictures as they wait for Harry's arrival at Arlington on Friday

'Although a Prince, Harry is also an operational soldier – indeed a soldier's soldier... a recurring theme is to help recognize and bring the spotlight onto the work being done to help these outstanding young men and women.'
Kennedy is buried there not because of his standing as a politician – he became the youngest man ever to be elected US President -  but because he has served as a junior naval officer in the South Pacific during World War 11, where he was credited with saving the lives of his crew following an attack Japanese cruiser.
The site had been chosen personally by Kennedy who had visited Arlington with his friend, architect John Carl Warnecke, in March 1963, just months before his death and admired the peaceful atmosphere of the location.
Although Kennedy's sisters and many of his long-time associates were opposed to his burial at Arlington, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy agreed to the change and was supported by his brother, Robert, who was himself subsequently assassinated and is buried nearby.
Mrs Kennedy also requested an eternal flame for her husband's grave, drawing inspiration from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which she and her husband had seen during a visit to France in 1961, which still shines today.

Distinguished guest: The visit to Arlington came a day after Harry visited the White House for a reception with Michelle Obama

Popular: He chatted with military mothers and their children - who did not know he would be there - at an event hosted by Michelle Obama

His gravesite is now one of the most visited in the cemetery. By his side is his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who died of cancer in 1994, and two of their infant children who died hours after birth.
In the course of his visit that will take Harry of Wales from coast to coast, the high-born guest will meet with wounded veterans, take part in charity events benefiting inner-city youths and promote British business and tourism.
His tour includes a stop in a New Jersey town ravaged by Hurricane Sandy. The destruction in the New Jersey beachside community of Mantoloking will prove to be quite a contrast to the polo fields of Connecticut where he will play in a charity tournament later in the visit.
He will also attend a diplomatic reception in Denver, Colorado, as well as the 2013 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs - an event that benefits disabled veterans.

Anticipation: Women wait for a glimpse of Prince Harry before he tours an anti-landmine exhibit in Washington D.C. on Thursday

In New York City, Harry's visit will include an event promoting a community baseball program involving a new partnership with the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, which bills itself as the culmination of the charity lives of Harry and his brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate.
This marks Harry's first visit to the US since August, when the 28-year-old royal landed in hot water after he reportedly took part in a strip poker game at a casino hotel in Las Vegas.
On a pre-deployment 'lads' holiday' to Las Vegas, the third in line to the throne, was photographed playing a game of ’strip billiards’ with a group of women in his £5,000-a-night hotel suite.
Harry has always refused to publicly apologize for his antics, which caused huge embarrassment to the Royal Family, but begrudgingly admits he ‘let his family down’.