Posted on 12/20/2009 1:55:01 PM PST by shove_it
Since July 2, 1937, the Unknown Soldiers interred at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery have never been alone. Sentinels who guard the Tomb constantly keep the Unknowns company through wind, rain, snow and heat. They maintain their vigil day and night; on weekends and holidays, the sentinels are there at the Tomb to guard the Unknown Soldiers and to ensure they will forever rest with dignity and honor. The sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are a platoon of Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). They go through a rigorous training cycle to earn the right to call themselves sentinels at the Tomb.
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(Excerpt) Read more at dcmilitary.com ...
Sacred ground. It ennobles all who touch it.
Outstanding! I’ve always wondering what kind of intensive training these fine men have to go through to become a Tomb Guard. Does anyone have any idea?
The link is over loaded. Here’s the full article:
Since July 2, 1937, the Unknown Soldiers interred at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery have never been alone. Sentinels who guard the Tomb constantly keep the Unknowns company through wind, rain, snow and heat. They maintain their vigil day and night; on weekends and holidays, the sentinels are there at the Tomb to guard the Unknown Soldiers and to ensure they will forever rest with dignity and honor.
The sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are a platoon of Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). They go through a rigorous training cycle to earn the right to call themselves sentinels at the Tomb.
Although Soldiers who pass training are able to wear the prestigious Tomb Guard badge, the sentinels who earn the badge do not do what they do for the prestige of being one of only 576 Soldiers to ever wear the badge; they do it because they are committed to giving back to these unknown Soldiers who gave everything they had — their lives, their identities — in sacrifice to their country.
As the winter holidays draw near, the dedication of these Soldiers will not waver. Before dawn on Christmas Eve, Sgt. Jonathan R. Pierce, the assistant commander of the relief for second relief, and seven other Soldiers, will report for duty at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They will guard the unknowns throughout the day and night, pacing silently for 21 steps in front of the Tomb to show visitors these Unknowns deserve the utmost respect and honor.
Pierce and his Soldiers will guard the Tomb until early Christmas morning. Only after the next relief of Soldiers arrives to take responsibility will they be able to go home.
Pierce has been assigned to the Tomb of the Unknowns for a year and a half. This will not be the first holiday he has not been with his Family because he was guarding the Tomb. In the past 12 months alone, Pierce has been on duty on Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day and Thanksgiving Day. This will be the second Christmas Eve he has spent with the Unknowns.
Guarding the Tomb on holidays is a little different than it is during the rest of the year, said Pierce. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a very popular tourist destination. Each year, millions of people from around the world visit Arlington National Cemetery. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the most popular destination there.
But on holidays, few people are there to visit the Unknown Soldiers, said Pierce. ‘‘It’s different – you don’t see as many people here. But being there on days like that rekindles your dedication to see that the Soldiers who sacrificed their identity are never forgotten, never dishonored. It’s a privilege and an honor to be the one who gets to watch over them.”
Although his Family in Tri-cities-area, Wash., will miss him at the holidays, Pierce said they understand his commitment, and are supportive of it. ‘‘They’re very, very proud of me,” he said. ‘‘The reason I volunteered to be assigned to the Tomb is because my dad told me about it. He told me how special the Tomb was. And he was right.”
Pierce said neither he nor his fellow Soldiers who guard the Tomb on the holidays mind that they cannot be with their Families. ‘‘We all understand that any sacrifice we make is nothing compared to what the Unknown Soldiers sacrificed.”
May God bless the dedicated Sentinels that guard the Tomb.
God Bless all of our fallen and their families! They alone know the full price of Freedom!
Went there last September. Will never forget it. Very solemn and moving.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Honor Guard - Report Fox News - Chris Wallace
Does anyone know if the tomb guards have ever had to actually defend the tomb?
Sixties radicals, vagrants, drunken morons, other crazies...just curious if anyone has ever threatened the tomb and caused the guards to break the cadence of their pacing.
What do they do if someone does try some funny business?
Is the rifle loaded?
I read two of the links provided, but didn’t see either mention that the guards take a lifelong pledge not to drink alcohol or to use curse words.
Except Obama. He desecrated it.
I had the opportunity to visit Arlington about 10 years ago in the spring. It was standing room only and pretty humid, with new families, foreign visitors a couple of vets in and out of uniform and all pretty restless until the guards entered. For the entire time, silence, so silent you could hear these dedicated young men lightly step. For all of the talking before hand and restless babies wining and crying, it was completely silent. A very memorable day.
Excellent video angle of the rifle/uniform inspection (starts at about the 2:00 mark): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqZ-mkdp1H0&feature=related
I read two of the links provided, but didn’t see either mention that the guards take a lifelong pledge not to drink alcohol or to use curse words.
they don’t....only while on duty they may not swear nor drink alcohol....while off duty, if of age, they may indeed imbibe of adult beverages.
I bet that loser wet his pants...
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