Facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

[FastEddy]

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.

 

[shadey26 ntc3]

man thats increditable . I did not know it was a lifetime commenment. bump this for all to read.

 

[Ryan with savage]

Yep all very nice sentiments and very worthy.....but I can't help thinking that while guards feel honoured etc etc, It must be boring as hell to do and that if true, some of the restrictions on them after serving are a little pointless.

 

[jon2]

Yep all very nice sentiments and very worthy.....but I can't help thinking that while guards feel honoured etc etc, It must be boring as hell to do and that if true, some of the restrictions on them after serving are a little pointless.

Obviously with a comment like that you don't understand what commitment is like. These soldiers see it as an honor and a privledge. They see what this soldier and the many that have lost their lives in war had made that same commitment just as they did.

 

[bigfreak]

I've only heard of this Tomb once or twice. I didn't know any of this. It's a real nice way for the US to show it's appriciation. I really should make a trip down to DC some day.

 

[alkyula]

honor, respect and commitment can be on such higher levels between different people on certain subjects it can never be understood how one can act, believe and live unless you are that person and are part of that order. i can only marvel at the level those guards are at in there life long commitment.

with that being said i can not picture myself ever having that much commitment....

 

[Ryan with savage]

Obviously with a comment like that you don't understand what commitment is like. These soldiers see it as an honor and a privledge. They see what this soldier and the many that have lost their lives in war had made that same commitment just as they did.

Actually I can imagine, but I can also imagine that it would have to be very boring also at times. That actually makes it more of an honour if you would stop to think about it.

To be honest, do you think that fallen comrades would really want their guard to not ever enjoy a cool beer again on a sunny sunday afternoon once they've retired? Probably not.

 

[Mike02vr6]

some more info on the tombs sentiennels http://www.tombguard.org/FAQ.html#I...ol on or off duty for the rest of their lives.

 

[mcvickj]

I'm not sure if it was a previous discussion on RCNT or on a different board but I searched Google and found the same information that FastEddy posted and I was also impressed. The one thing I thought was off was the 5 hours working on their uniform but from talking to others it seems like there is a lot to do to make sure their uniform is correct.

 

[SkyMaxx]

Five hours is paltry when it comes to getting their uniforms ready. The military personnel that make up the honor guard at the tomb are driven to make a perfect presentation. That pushes them to spend countless hours ensuring the creases are just right, the ribbons and medals are perfetly straight and in the exact location they are supposed to be, their shoes have a mirror like shine to them, and many other details that go un-noticed by the untrained eye.

I am not one of the honoured few who have that duty, but I am in the military and have been known to spend upwards of an hour to two hours, depending on which uniform, in preparation. My work uniform is pretty much a drag off the hanger and go type of uniform. My first level of dress uniform takes about an hour to rig. My dressiest of dress uniforms takes about an hour to an hour and a half. AND that is just for wearing. For inspections, I add about an hour for lint removal and other detail related preps.

As for the rest of the information, thanks for reposting this Eddy. Everytime I see it, I am reminded about a great many things and about some of the reasons I wear a uniform.