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 it's 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 psysical 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 in 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.
God Bless
and keep them.
