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.
Very fascinating.

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
an d 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 in terred. 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 United States Senate and the 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.