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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

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  • 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.

    Please forward to your list. I would 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.


    God Bless and keep them.

  • #2
    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.
    Some of this is an urban legend and not true, I know for a fact that the swearing in public, fighting, watching tv or talking is an urban legend.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by ChrisF202
      Some of this is an urban legend and not true
      http://www.snopes.com/military/unknown.asp
      No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
      I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
      even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
      He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

      Comment

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