Daniel Yourdon
06-16-2004, 6:29 PM
I recieved this from a friend.
You may have already read it somewhere and I am not vouching for it's accuracy. But thought it was interesting and wanted to share it with all of you makes for a good history lessson.
Did you know.......
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.
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.
You may have already read it somewhere and I am not vouching for it's accuracy. But thought it was interesting and wanted to share it with all of you makes for a good history lessson.
Did you know.......
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.
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.