Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
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.”
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.
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?
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
Lets not forget the rest of the sailors, soldiers, marines and air force troops doing the same thing all around the world. From Iraq to Berlin to the DMZ in Korea and even to Washington DC and on and under all the seas in between they are ALL guarding us and far from home.
Jack
The Tombs of the Unknowns are an awesome experience. It was an important visit when I went to DC on 9/12.
In contrast to a lot of the political malarkey that goes on in the Pentagon, this is the very meaning of membership in the Fraternity of Combat Warriors.
We then went to the Tomb and pay our respects and watch the guard on duty and the changing of the guard which occurred every half hour. The guard’s routine was perfection. The guards steps from one end of the carpeted path to the exact. Guard Detail
There was a rope and support poles which separated the spectators from the tomb. It’s not shown on the latest You tube pictures but things change. On this day there was a mother with a baby. The mother was watching the guard and as he passed the baby crawled under the rope and sat on the carpet. When the Guard turned to begin his return march he saw the baby. He then said in a loud, highly mechanical voice, “Madam! Please remove your child from the cordoned area. Everyone was startled by the nature of his command voice. The baby began to cry and the mother scrambled under the rope to retrieve her child. Quite a day!