The Men Who Guard
the Tomb of the Unknowns
Facts and
Fiction
He who guards the
Tomb of the Unknowns is a special kind of person.
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 hat 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.
On the ABC
evening news, it was once reported that, because of the dangers from a
hurricane 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. Our US Senate/House
took 2 days off as they couldn't work because of the expected storm.
The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.
We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter
where they serve.
Now
compare what you have just read to the facts:
Facts
about the guards |
