Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Refresher course:
On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns --- All three missed it --
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' an d 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 service person. The tomb has been patrolled continuously,
24/7, since 1930.
God Bless and keep them.
Refresher course:
On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns --- All three missed it --
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' an d 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 service person. The tomb has been patrolled continuously,
24/7, since 1930.
God Bless and keep them.
13 comments:
Joe, it's things like this that make me feel PROUD and HONORED to be a veteran for the greatest country in the world! Thank you for posting it.
If only our members of congress had half the attributes of the soldiers.
amen....
This sounds insane. It sounds as if the guarding of the tomb is a religious ritual.
Whats the matter 9:14 never served? You don't get it because you "just don't get it".
9:14 AM - you sound so unAmerican.
9:14 it is more than a religious ritual. Soldier fight and die regardless of their religion or any other believes. They fight and die for your right to perform religious rituals and to be able to freely make unintelligent comments like yours. Get it right!
SGT
9:14, you do get it. that's exactly what it is.
We are worshipping war and its participants.
Hey Joe:
I love reading some of these things..You know this stuff is not being taught in our schools. I would not mind see some more posts like this. Like the rules for displaying the flag and other stuff. Bill Bennett wrote a book call the american almanac which is a day by day historical account but between the months are sections like this. Very informative and the kind of stuff that i about with my kids
I am in awww. Thanks for the lesson Joe. What men!
Joe I appreciate you posting this and wish more people wer aware of it. Whenever I take visitors up to DC this is a must stop. Arlington is one of my favorite places in DC-you could literally spend a day there. Just want to post this link to clear up many of the rumors such as the not drinking or swearing for life. The guards also do not live underneath the tomb.
Many do not realize it but the main piece of stone the tomb is made out of is in dire need of repair. While I am not a big fan of studies per se there is one underway at present as to how to preserve or repair this national treasure with the least disturbance to those interred.
http://www.tombguard.org/FAQ.html
I am the sponsor of a Petition drive to bestow upon Audie Murphy the Nation’s highest civilian honor, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, in recognition of his lifetime contributions and achievements to the Nation; as a soldier, songwriter, author, poet, humanitarian, and one who fought for veterans and veterans ri...ghts, particularly on the matter of PTSD.
Audie Murphy always marched with our flag held high and is one of America’s great Patriots.
To view and sign the Petition to President Obama, go to this link:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Audie-Murphy-Presidential-Medal-of-Freedom-Award
Thank-you!
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