[StBernard] ARLINGTON CEMETERY..............

[Westley Annis]

I received this from a dear friend of mine that's in the military and
thought this worthy of sharring.
jill

 


	As Memorial Day is coming next week I thought this to be highly
appropriate.
	
	
	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 missed it ---
	                       
	
	This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the
	chance Very 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."
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.
	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 serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled
continuously,
	24/7, since 1930.
	
	                       
	                       
	
	
	God Bless and keep them.
	
	
	I don't usually suggest that many emails be forwarded, but I'd be
	very proud if this one reached as many as possible. We can be very
proud
	of our young men and women in the service no matter where they
serve.