Unkown Soldier
IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU PRINT A COPY OF THIS AND KEEP IT FOR FUTURE READINGS ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN..> Subject: Interesting Facts
Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier and the Sentinels of the Third United States
Infantry Regiment "Old Guard"
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? No, 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.
The Sentinels Creed
My dedication to this sacred duty is total and
wholehearted.
In the responsibility bestowed on me never will
I falter.
And with dignity and perseverance my standard
will remain perfection. Through the years of
diligence and praise and the discomfort of the
elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to
the best of my ability. It is he who commands the
respect I protect. His bravery that made us so
proud. Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day
alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier
will in honored glory rest under my eternal
vigilance.
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More Interesting facts about the Tomb of the
Unknowns itself:
The marble for the Tomb of the Unknowns was
furnished by the Vermont Marble Company of Danby,
Vt. The marble is the finest and whitest of American
marble, quarried from the Yule Marble Quarry
located near Marble, Colorado and is called Yule
Marble. The Marble for the Lincoln memorial and
other famous buildings was also quarried there.
The Tomb consists of seven pieces of rectangular
marble:
Four pieces in sub base; weight Â- 15 tons
One piece in base or plinth; weight Â- 16
tons
One piece in die; weight Â- 36 tons
One piece in cap; weight Â- 12 tons
Carved on the East side (the front of the Tomb,
which faces Washington,
D.C.) is a composite of three figures,
commemorative of the spirit of the Allies of World
War I. In the center of the panel stands Victory
(female). On the right side, a male figure
symbolizes Valor. On the left side stands Peace,
with her palm branch to reward the devotion and
sacrifice that went with courage to make the cause
of righteousness triumphant.
The north and south sides are divided into three
panels by Doric pilasters. In each panel is an
inverted wreath. On the west, or rear, panel (facing
the
Amphitheater) is inscribed:
HERE RESTS IN
HONORED GLORY
AN AMERICAN
SOLDIER
KNOWN BUT TO GOD
The first Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was a sub
base and a base or plinth. It was slightly smaller
than the present base. This was torn away when the
present Tomb was started Aug. 27, 1931. The Tomb was
completed and the area opened to the public 9:15
a.m. April 9, 1932, without any ceremony.
Cost of the Tomb Â- $48,000
Sculptor Â- Thomas Hudson Jones
Architect Â- Lorimer Rich
Contractors Â- Hagerman & Harris, New York City
Inscription Â- Author Unknown
* *
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(Interesting Commentary)
The Third Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer has the
responsibility for providing ceremonial units and
honor guards for state occasions, White House social
functions, public celebrations and interments at
Arlington National Cemetery and standing a very
formal sentry watch at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The public is familiar with the precision of
what is called "walking post" at the Tombs. There
are roped off galleries where visitors can form to
observe the troopers and their measured step and
almost mechanically silent rifle shoulder changes.
They are relieved every hour in a very formal drill
that has to be seen to be believed.
Some people think that when the Cemetery is
closed to the public in the evening that this show
stops. First, to the men who are dedicated to this
work, it is no show. It is a "charge of honor."
The formality and precision continues uninterrupted
all night. During the nighttime, the drill of
relief and the measured step of the on duty sentry
remain unchanged from the daylight hours. To these
men, these special men, the continuity of this post
is the key to the honor and respect shown to these
honored dead, symbolic of all American unaccounted
for American combat dead. The steady rhythmic step
in rain, sleet, snow, hail, heat, cold, must be
uninterrupted. Uninterrupted is the important part
of the honor shown.
Recently, while you were sleeping, the teeth of
hurricane Isabel came through this area and tore
hell out of everything. We had thousands of trees
down, power outages, traffic signals out, roads
filled with downed limbs and "gear adrift" debris.
We had flooding and the place looked like it had
been the impact area of an off shore bombardment.
The Regimental Commander of the U.S. Third
Infantry sent word to the nighttime Sentry Detail to
secure the post and seek shelter from the high
winds, to ensure their personal safety.
THEY DISOBEYED THE ORDER!
During winds that turned over vehicles and
turned debris into projectiles, the measured step
continued. One fellow said "I've got buddies
getting shot at in Iraq who would kick my butt if
word got to them that we let them down. I sure as
hell have no intention of spending my Army career
being known as the idiot who couldn't stand a little
light breeze and shirked his duty." Then he said
something in response to a female reporters question
regarding silly purposeless personal risk.... "I
wouldn't expect you to understand. It's an enlisted
man's thing." God bless the rascal... In a time in
our nation's history when spin and total bull maneur
seem to have become the accepted coin-of-the-realm,
there beat hearts - the enlisted hearts we all knew
and were so proud to be a part of - that fully
understand that devotion to duty is not a part time
we were represented by
some damn fine men who fully understood their post
orders and proudly went about their assigned
responsibilities unseen, unrecognized and in the
finest tradition of the American Enlisted Man.
Folks, there's hope. The spirit that George S.
Patton, Arliegh Burke and Jimmy Doolittle left us...
survives.
On the ABC evening news, it was reported
recently that, because of the dangers from Hurricane
Isabel 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 refused. "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.
Very, very proud of our soldiers in uniform!
__________________
Irish---Better to be dead & cool,then alive & uncool!
(Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man)
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