Honoring the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

tomb of the unknowns ^ | oct 9, 2005 | beebuster2000

[beebuster2000]

  Tomb of the  Unknown Soldier

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.     

some other info about the guard:

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 k! eep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal hee l 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 inArlingtonNationalCemetery. 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} ofHollywoodfame.    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.     

God Bless and keep them.

[Kimmers]

You failed to mention "Goose bump alert"....thank you for the post....

[llevrok]

Every once and a while, I see a similar post. I never get tired of them. Nor do I cease being humbled by the honor guard's life long dedication to their duty.

[Old Seadog]

" Joe E. Lewis {the boxer}"

You mean Joe Louis, the boxer.

[JHL]

I checked you link and didn't find the information you posted. I did find a link to the Society of the Honor Guard. The FAQ on that web site refutes some of the claims in your post.

Quotes from http://www.tombguard.org/FAQ.html

QUOTE
Is it true 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.

No, this is a false rumor. The average tour at the Tomb is about a year. There is NO set time for service there. The Sentinels live either in a barracks on Ft. Myer (the Army post located adjacent to the cemetery) or off base if they like. They do have living quarters under the steps of the amphitheater where they stay during their 24 hour shifts, but when they are off, they are off. And if they are of legal age, they may drink anything they like, except while on duty.

Is it true they cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives?

Again, another false rumor.
UNQUOTE

Not to take anything away from these guards. I think they are superb soldiers and worthy of all praise, but in the interest of accuracy, I think it only fair to not overstate their requirements.

[Guenevere]

bttt

[11Bush]

I have known several 'Tomb Walkers' and can say without reservation that they drink and swear just like any other NCO. They do seem to walk funny though.

[Caesar Soze]

It looks like some of that was taken, without attribution, from the Tomb Guards' homepage. Other parts were invented, such as being guarded continuously since 1930 (actually 1937) and that silly no drinking thing. One should always prefer official sources of information to silly email forwards, and silly email forwards should be vetted on Snopes before they get past you.

[stockpirate]

I think some of what you posted is Urban legend.