On Jeopardy the one 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.
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 L. Murphy, the most
decorated soldier of WWII and 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.
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