Tweet
A friend sent me this and I thought it was very interesting
> 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 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.
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
> 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 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.
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
Comment