Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- From: Badger North <young_forest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:44:16 -0500
Some stuff my father emailed me, in regards to the US Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier:
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." 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
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.
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. 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.
Badger Jones
www.youngforest.ca
"A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing." - Emo Phillips
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- From: travisgod@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Re: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- From: Sutemi
- Re: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- From: nemo_outis
- Re: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- Prev by Date: Re: Don't bag a Republican; they're too hard to clean
- Next by Date: Re: BJJ & Gayness...
- Previous by thread: Steak and blowjob day.
- Next by thread: Re: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
