ARLINGTON CEMETERY
Jeopardy Question:
On Jeopardy awhile back, the final question was
"How many steps does the guard take during his
walk across the tomb of the Unknowns?"
All three contestants missed it!
This is really an
awesome sight to watch if you've never had the
chance .
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 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.
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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.
We can be
very proud of our men
and women in the service.
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