SwampMatt
Well-known member
I got this in email, a few years ago, and again this week. I suppose it's still making the rounds. But I thought I'd convert it to a post to share it with this group - Airboaters, as a group, seem to be the kind who can truly appreciate the concept of having a tomb for a soldier who gave it all - to the degree that they don't even get to be laid to rest with their loved ones. And also appreciate what those who stand guard go through to set the standard of honor and tribute for those buried there.
In checking the facts about this email, I found that it contained several innaccuracies. And it is a disservice to both the soldiers in the tomb and the guards who make "the walk" to spread the inaccuracies. So I have noted some corrections (marked in red) and added some other information I found in researching these facts. Should anyone want the original email version of this tribute, PM me with your email address and I'll forward it out to you. But to truly honor these soldiers, I'd rather not spread the original email with the innaccuracies it contains. I will include the links below with the correct facts.
Check these links for more interesting info:
More info
More info
More info
More info
We don't have to wait till the last Monday in May or November 11th to honor a vet! Honor a vet today!
matt.
********************************************
On Jeopardy 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.
Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God.
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
(minor note: He does not technically do an "about face". The Guard
turns to face the tomb, and at this point he pauses for 21 seconds, after which
he continues his turn and reverses direction)
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.
(Actually, the Guards change every 60 minutes ‘on the hour’, but during
the summer months a change ‘on the half-hour’ is added during daylight hours.)
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.
(An inaccuracy has been added to this email by someone confusing the Guards
of the Unknowns with a monastery. There is NO RULE that they cannot drink or
swear for the rest of their lives, but it is true that years after guarding the tomb,
some guards have had their Guard Badges revoked due to public drunkenness
and vulgar language in public. They had disgraced the uniform. So while it is not
the “rule� as stated above, it does indicate the type of lifestyle a Guard must
maintain to prove his honor.... For the rest of his life. There is no set length of
service, some have served for two years, but most serve as Guards of the Unknowns
for about a year. The guards don't live in a barracks under the tomb - they
can live where they choose wether on or off base. However, there is a barracks
under the ampetheater near the tomb where they stay during their shifts.
Shifts are 24 hours on duty, 24 hours off duty - repeating for three shifts, then
they have 3 days off before repeating the schedule.)
The Tomb Guard Identification Badge is a temporary award until the
badge-holding sentinel has honorably served at the Tomb of the Unknowns
for nine months. At that time, the award can be made a permanent badge,
which may then be worn for the rest of a military career. The silver badge
is an upside-down, laurel-leaf wreath surrounding a depiction of the front
face of the Tomb. Peace, Victory and Valor are portrayed as Greek figures.
The words "Honor Guard" are shown below the Tomb on the badge.
There are only (just over) 500 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for
the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.
The Tomb Guard Identification Badge is also the only badge known to be
revoked even after leaving active duty military service. There have been
nine badge revocations since its origination in 1958.
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 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) and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, (the most decorated
soldier of WWII) of Hollywood fame. (This is not entirely true as stated –
There is no rule that they cannot talk to anyone or watch TV, but saying that each
guard has so much work to do in the first 6 months they don’t have time to do
these things is a more accurate statement.)
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.
Edited to further the accuracy and clarity.
In checking the facts about this email, I found that it contained several innaccuracies. And it is a disservice to both the soldiers in the tomb and the guards who make "the walk" to spread the inaccuracies. So I have noted some corrections (marked in red) and added some other information I found in researching these facts. Should anyone want the original email version of this tribute, PM me with your email address and I'll forward it out to you. But to truly honor these soldiers, I'd rather not spread the original email with the innaccuracies it contains. I will include the links below with the correct facts.
Check these links for more interesting info:
More info
More info
More info
More info
We don't have to wait till the last Monday in May or November 11th to honor a vet! Honor a vet today!
matt.
********************************************
On Jeopardy 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.
Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God.
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
(minor note: He does not technically do an "about face". The Guard
turns to face the tomb, and at this point he pauses for 21 seconds, after which
he continues his turn and reverses direction)
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.
(Actually, the Guards change every 60 minutes ‘on the hour’, but during
the summer months a change ‘on the half-hour’ is added during daylight hours.)
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.
(An inaccuracy has been added to this email by someone confusing the Guards
of the Unknowns with a monastery. There is NO RULE that they cannot drink or
swear for the rest of their lives, but it is true that years after guarding the tomb,
some guards have had their Guard Badges revoked due to public drunkenness
and vulgar language in public. They had disgraced the uniform. So while it is not
the “rule� as stated above, it does indicate the type of lifestyle a Guard must
maintain to prove his honor.... For the rest of his life. There is no set length of
service, some have served for two years, but most serve as Guards of the Unknowns
for about a year. The guards don't live in a barracks under the tomb - they
can live where they choose wether on or off base. However, there is a barracks
under the ampetheater near the tomb where they stay during their shifts.
Shifts are 24 hours on duty, 24 hours off duty - repeating for three shifts, then
they have 3 days off before repeating the schedule.)
The Tomb Guard Identification Badge is a temporary award until the
badge-holding sentinel has honorably served at the Tomb of the Unknowns
for nine months. At that time, the award can be made a permanent badge,
which may then be worn for the rest of a military career. The silver badge
is an upside-down, laurel-leaf wreath surrounding a depiction of the front
face of the Tomb. Peace, Victory and Valor are portrayed as Greek figures.
The words "Honor Guard" are shown below the Tomb on the badge.
There are only (just over) 500 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for
the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.
The Tomb Guard Identification Badge is also the only badge known to be
revoked even after leaving active duty military service. There have been
nine badge revocations since its origination in 1958.
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 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) and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, (the most decorated
soldier of WWII) of Hollywood fame. (This is not entirely true as stated –
There is no rule that they cannot talk to anyone or watch TV, but saying that each
guard has so much work to do in the first 6 months they don’t have time to do
these things is a more accurate statement.)
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.
Edited to further the accuracy and clarity.
