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Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier
1. How many steps does the guard
take during his walk across the tomb
of the Unknowns and why?
21 steps. It alludes to the
twenty-one gun salute, which is the
highest honor given any military or
foreign dignitary.
2. How long does he hesitate
after his about face to begin his
return walk and why?
21 seconds for the same reason as
answer number 1
3. Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to
prevent his losing his grip on the
rifle.
4. Does he carry his rifle on the
same shoulder all the time and if
not, why not?
He carries the rifle on the
shoulder away from the tomb.
After his march across the path, he
executes an about face and moves the
rifle to the outside shoulder.
5. How often are the guards
changed?
Guards are changed every thirty
minutes, twenty-four hours a day,
365 days a year.
6. What are the physical traits
of the guard limited to?
For a person to apply for guard
duty at the tomb, he must be between
5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist
size cannot exceed 30."
Other requirements of the
Guard: They must commit 2 years
of life to guard the tomb, live in a
barracks under the tomb, and cannot
drink any alcohol on or off duty for
the rest of their lives. They cannot
swear in public for the rest of
their lives and cannot disgrace the
uniform {fighting} or the tomb in
any way. After two years, the guard
is given a wreath pin that is worn
on their lapel signifying they
served as guard of the tomb. There
are only 400 presently worn. (2004).
The guard must obey these rules for
the rest of their lives or give up
the wreath pin. The shoes are
specially made with very thick soles
to keep the heat and cold from their
feet. There are metal heel plates
that extend to the top of the shoe
in order to make the loud click as
they come to a halt. There are no
wrinkles, folds or lint on the
uniform. Guards dress for duty in
front of a full-length mirror.
The first six months of duty a
guard cannot talk to anyone, nor
watch TV. All off duty time is spent
studying the 175 notable people laid
to rest in Arlington National
Cemetery. A guard must memorize who
they are and where they are
interred. Among the notables are:
President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the
boxer} and Medal of Honor winner
Audie Murphy, {the most decorated
soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame.
Every guard spends five hours a
day getting his uniforms ready for
guard duty.
ETERNAL REST
GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL
LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was
approaching Washington, DC, our US
Senate/House took 2 days off with
anticipation of the storm. On the
ABC evening news, it was
reported that because of the dangers
from the hurricane, the military
members assigned the duty of
guarding the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier were given permission to
suspend the assignment. They
respectfully declined the offer, "No
way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin,
marching in the pelting rain of a
tropical storm, they said that
guarding the Tomb was not just an
assignment, it was the highest honor
that can be afforded to a
serviceperson. The tomb has been
patrolled continuously, 24/7, since
1930.
God
Bless and keep them.
We can be very
proud of our young men and women in
the service no matter where they
serve.
Written and the
Unknown Soldier Graphic Made By:
Ed, aka
Badboysdoit
Thank You Ed for
permission to use this. |
