Tomb of the Unknown Soldier!..

[Sarge]

This is really an awesome sight to watch. Very fascinating.

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.
>
>
>
>
> God Bless and keep them.
>
>
> 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.

[coldharvest]

[Rupert]

Wow, and I just thought it was Doors song.

[Swiss_AK]

Wow. Is that ever stoic. The guard is on 24-7 and each spends 5 hours preparing for the shift. Lets add say 6-8 hours sleep? Then cooking meals, eating , cleaning up, showering and shaving? Throw some actual study time in. Rise and perform it all over again? Add all of that up and how long is the actual shift?

--

He must not drink on or off-duty for the rest of his life.

Thats not agood way to put it IMO.

I wonder why they put it that way. If you are OFF duty you are not bound to duty, yet according to this you actually are. This is just another way of saying guard duty is 24/7 and there is no drinking on the job and you cant quit even after you leave.

It should be a given that the soldier would never drink on duty anyway so why even put it forth and across?

[mamie]

my dad took me out of school one day when i was around 7 years old and we flew to Washington D.C. in the morning and back home that evening. we went to the tomb of the unknown soldier and many of the other sites. it was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.

thanks for posting that about the guards, sarge. that is hardcore.

[redfax]

Not talk to anyone for five months? Isn't there some Death Star you'd rather have me blow up?

[Sri Lanky]

What about the known soldier?

Everybody knows about the unknown soldier but nobody knows about the known soldier.

??????????????????????????