SwiftVets.com

[ocsparky101]

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. 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.

We can be very proud of our young men and women in
the service no matter where they serve. God Bless
and keep them.
***************



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[blue9t3]

Very interesting, I wouldnt last 20 minutes!
_________________
MOPAR-BUYER

[wwIIvetsdaughter]

OC, I learned a lot from the PBS documentary on Arlington. Many of your points about the Guard were mentioned on the show. However, I read (while visiting Arlington) that in summer, the time is shortened to a change every 15 minutes. Is this true? I also heard that private citizens may lay a wreath, much like the President did, with the help of the Guard. What do you know about this? Thanks!

[arkadyfolkner]

Like all tales, this one is partly true: The truth being that yes they did spend all night at their posts in defiance of the storm. But they did not disobey a direct order to do so.

The contingent plan was that is the winds reaches 120mph the Tomb Guards would take up positions in the Trophy Room, which had a view of the Sepulchre, thus continuing their duties there.

This contingent plan was not put into effect.

http://www.snopes.com/military/isabel.htm

More info is here.

Personally I wouldnt have put it past the Tomb Sentries to refuse a direct order to move.

[arkadyfolkner]

More interesting info from Snopes.