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This past week my family and went to Washington DC to take in some site and watch the Fire Works over the 4th. We also went to the Arlington Cemetary to see the TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER and my wife found this information that was really interesting and I thought I would share it with all of you.
Subject: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Did you know.......
This must take a special kind of person.
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 anyway. 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
theyare 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.
I don't know if you saw this in the news but it really impressed me. Funny, our US Senate/House took 2 days off as they couldn't
work because of the expected storm.
On the ABC evening news, it was reported tonight that, because
of the dangers from Hurricane Isabelle approaching Washington DC, 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.
We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service
no matter where they serve.
This may be bit out of context for this site but it was really a kewl thing to see in person and have the undestanding of why they march.
Subject: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Did you know.......
This must take a special kind of person.
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 anyway. 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
theyare 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.
I don't know if you saw this in the news but it really impressed me. Funny, our US Senate/House took 2 days off as they couldn't
work because of the expected storm.
On the ABC evening news, it was reported tonight that, because
of the dangers from Hurricane Isabelle approaching Washington DC, 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.
We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service
no matter where they serve.
This may be bit out of context for this site but it was really a kewl thing to see in person and have the undestanding of why they march.
660 SilverTip
Pro
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Out of text? I don't think so. It's the lounge. I've never read this before. Pretty intense about their jobs eh? Kind of over board with a few things but hey, if it's an honor thing, more power to them. These people sure are proud to be red,white,and blue.
That is really cool. I did not know that at all thanks for posting it. Dedication even with their very lives in danger. You Americans should be very proud of these guys I am and I am Canadian.
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We wne there last year...was pretty cool... 
