Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the chance. 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.



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 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 Lewis {the boxer}
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.


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 as signment, 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.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqZ-mkdp1H0

 

i just got this email. cool stuff to know

 

i've seen it and it is very awe inspiring

 

I was just there about a month ago. Very emotional there. Nobody talks, no noise, just the click every 21 seconds...its very powerful.

By the way, that is the best video i've seen of the changing of the guard...

 

Thanks that is really a cool thing to see

 

Good read. Thank you.

 

I saw a special on this once, it takes them about 6 hours to get ready to do the 30 min shift. VERY VERY IMPRESSIVE!!

 

I saw this last summer, It was a very neat experience.

but some of those are not correct

http://www.snopes.com/military/unknown.asp



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

 

I've seen it a few times. Its awesome

 

Good links. Thanks!

 

I've been there, very cool indeed!

 

there is a vid on youtube, where,,, they are doing their routine, some dude passes the rope to get a better pic, and in the middle of doing their routine they bust out of formation, get on their knees, start yelling with rifles drawn, yelling get back behind the line?? something along those lines. i would of shit myself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-dBwdeJSGo

so i remembered it wrong.

 

I had a doctor, Navy, who was previously a guard there who I worked with. I never saw this guy look like a bag of ass, as most interns/residents usually do, in the time he worked with us. I remember asking him what the crest was for on his shirt pocket once and he told me.

 

agreed, very powerful stuff! i was there when i was 13 in september of 2000 and i still remember it vividly to this day!

 

The guy drops a bottle of water.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ose5Z3LajhE&feature=channel

this is a cool vid i found from behind the scenes of the guard.

 

real good read and post . just amazing the dedication

 

Awesome read! Hopefully one day I'll get to see this.

 

its very cool to see. great post

 

memorial day bump. thanks to all that serve and have served