TexasAg1969 Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 Got this as an email from a veteran friend of mine: ARLINGTON CEMETERY Jeopardy Question: On Jeopardy the other night, 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. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 Some falsehoods there tex: Is it true a Sentinel must commit for two years 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. No, this is a false rumor. The average tour at the Tomb is about a 18 months. However, there is NO set time for service there. Sentinels live either in a barracks on Ft. Myer (the Army post located adjacent to the cemetery) or off base if they like. They do have a living quarters under the steps of the amphitheater where they stay during their 24 hour shifts. If they are of legal age, they may drink except while on duty. Is it true they cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives? Again, another false rumor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasAg1969 Posted February 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 28 minutes ago, DieHardBrownsFan said: Some falsehoods there tex: Is it true a Sentinel must commit for two years 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. No, this is a false rumor. The average tour at the Tomb is about a 18 months. However, there is NO set time for service there. Sentinels live either in a barracks on Ft. Myer (the Army post located adjacent to the cemetery) or off base if they like. They do have a living quarters under the steps of the amphitheater where they stay during their 24 hour shifts. If they are of legal age, they may drink except while on duty. Is it true they cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives? Again, another false rumor. Thanks for corrections Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted February 21, 2018 Report Share Posted February 21, 2018 5 hours ago, DieHardBrownsFan said: Some falsehoods there tex: Is it true a Sentinel must commit for two years 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. No, this is a false rumor. The average tour at the Tomb is about a 18 months. However, there is NO set time for service there. Sentinels live either in a barracks on Ft. Myer (the Army post located adjacent to the cemetery) or off base if they like. They do have a living quarters under the steps of the amphitheater where they stay during their 24 hour shifts. If they are of legal age, they may drink except while on duty. Is it true they cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives? Again, another false rumor. It's the spirit of his post I applaud.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dste Ace Posted February 21, 2018 Report Share Posted February 21, 2018 I usually go to D.C. 2 or 3 times a year and always make a point to visit Arlington Cemetary. If you go to Arlington National Cemetary I strongly recommend that you spend some time at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A very moving experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasAg1969 Posted February 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2018 9 hours ago, Dste Ace said: I usually go to D.C. 2 or 3 times a year and always make a point to visit Arlington Cemetary. If you go to Arlington National Cemetary I strongly recommend that you spend some time at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A very moving experience. I went there the week they dedicated the Vietnam Memorial back in the early 80s. I also happened to be at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris where the French Tomb of the Unknown from WW I is located and watched a military ceremony laying a wreath on the Tomb. Both times dust kept getting in my eyes or something. Same thing happened going thru the Normandy cemetery and the WW I American cemetery on the St. Michel Salient S of Verdun where my grandfather had fought as an Art. Capt. in that war. Very moving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dste Ace Posted February 21, 2018 Report Share Posted February 21, 2018 1 hour ago, TexasAg1969 said: I went there the week they dedicated the Vietnam Memorial back in the early 80s. I also happened to be at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris where the French Tomb of the Unknown from WW I is located and watched a military ceremony laying a wreath on the Tomb. Both times dust kept getting in my eyes or something. Same thing happened going thru the Normandy cemetery and the WW I American cemetery on the St. Michel Salient S of Verdun where my grandfather had fought as an Art. Capt. in that war. Very moving. I've attended the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb one time. I prefer to go when there are few or no people there. Just the guard and the view of the seemingly endless white tombstones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dste Ace Posted February 21, 2018 Report Share Posted February 21, 2018 The thing I really like about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is that if people are being loud and disrespectful, the guard won't hesitate to tell them to knock it off. My wife and I visited the Vietnam Memorial back in December. There was a gaggle/mob of Chinese (?) tourists being very loud, laughing and taking selfies/pictures. The Vietnam vet who was standing by the memorial just shook his head in disgust--my wife was really pissed and 'loudly rebuked' them. They were oblivious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted February 21, 2018 Report Share Posted February 21, 2018 I think it was chinese, too, at the Pearl Harbor Arizona Memorial. Five of them whooping it up, laughing about something in chinese, most of the group turned and stared, I thought about saying something.....and our guide was really upset, and went after them in hushed tones and that )*_)(*_)(* turned to silence and they didn't utter a peep after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasAg1969 Posted February 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 19 hours ago, calfoxwc said: I think it was chinese, too, at the Pearl Harbor Arizona Memorial. Five of them whooping it up, laughing about something in chinese, most of the group turned and stared, I thought about saying something.....and our guide was really upset, and went after them in hushed tones and that )*_)(*_)(* turned to silence and they didn't utter a peep after that. I was luckier the day I went to that one cal. There were people from all around the world that day and if anyone spoke it was in whispers up close to one another. The most impressive place I have been though was the WW I St. Michel American cemetery. It was as well kept as the Normandy cemetery and in the visitors log there were multiple people from France leaving messages to thank all Americans for the sacrifices we made to save their country in both wars. I was truly shocked and impressed. You never really hear about those things when it comes to the French. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 20 hours ago, Dste Ace said: The thing I really like about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is that if people are being loud and disrespectful, the guard won't hesitate to tell them to knock it off. My wife and I visited the Vietnam Memorial back in December. There was a gaggle/mob of Chinese (?) tourists being very loud, laughing and taking selfies/pictures. The Vietnam vet who was standing by the memorial just shook his head in disgust--my wife was really pissed and 'loudly rebuked' them. They were oblivious. Chinese tourists are the worst. Extremely rude. I remember at the National Gallery of Art they would have busses of them pulling up and they would all run in and start touching the paintings. The guards told them to stop, and then some kids grabbed a wheel chair and started pushing each other all over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dste Ace Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 There are several recent articles in the NY Times, CNN, NPR, etc., about how the Chinese government is trying to rein in the bad behavior of Chinese tourists. Places like Hong Kong describe tourists defecating in the streets. Unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htownbrown Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 Joe Louis {The Boxer} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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