Subject: 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 W.W.II}
of Hollywood fame.
Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard
duty.
ETERNAL REST GRANT UNTO THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
I don't know if you saw this in the news but it really impressed me. Funny,
our US Senate/House took 2 days off as they couldn't work because of the
expected storm.
On the ABC evening news, it was reported tonight that, because of the dangers
from Hurricane Isabelle approaching Washington, DC, 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.
I don't usually suggest that many emails be forwarded, but I'd be very proud
if this one reached as many as possible.
We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter
where they serve.
God Bless them.
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