On Memorial Day weekend let us remember all who now serve in our
military, the veterans of all branches of the military and especially
our fallen heroes.
President Bush at Tomb of the
Unknowns - Memorial Day 2005
click on photo to enlarge
President George. W. Bush stands with U.S. Army Major General Galen Jackman as
he lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National
Cemetery on Memorial Day May 30, 2005. White House photo by Krisanne Johnson
Narrated by President George W. Bush, Senator Bob Dole and
President George H. W. Bush
If you have never witnessed in person the guarding of the Tomb of the Unknowns by the
Sentinels, the changing of the guard, etc., you owe it to yourself to make a trip to Arlington
Cemetery in D.C. to observe this. It will forever be engrained in your memory.
"Here Rests
In Honored Glory
An American Soldier
Known But To God"
The Tomb of the Unknowns, near the center of the cemetery, is one of Arlington's most popular tourist sites.
The Tomb contains the remains of unknown American soldiers from World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict and (until 1998) the Vietnam War. Each was presented with the Medal of Honor at the time of interment and the medals, as well as the flags which covered their caskets, are on display inside the Memorial Amphitheater, directly to the rear of the Tomb.
The Tomb is guarded 24-hours-per-day and 365-days-per year by specially trained members of the 3rd United States Infantry (The Old Guard).
The Memorial Amphitheater has been the scene of the funerals of some prominent Americans (such as General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing) as well as the site of both Memorial Day and Veterans Days celebrations
Did you Know?
Note from the Webmaster:
No doubt many of you have received the following six item e-mail which has been making the rounds, and most of us just accepted it as gospel. However, if you check this out at Snopes on the internet, you will find some corrections. www.snopes.com/military/unknown.asp . However, it is still a beautiful and impressive service performed by these dedicated sentinels who stand guard over our heroes who gave their all. Please do not let the corrections detract from the message. Many thanks to Nancy Sulhoff of Hall County for bringing this to our attention.
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.
Corrections according to Snopes: The guards do make 21-step walks past the Tomb of the Unknowns because 21 is considered a number of special significance, a topic discussed on our page about the origins of the21-gun salute.Slight Corrections according to Snopes: This is a somewhat true but incomplete statement. The guard does not execute an about-face, and there is more involved in the procedure than is described here. As another site describes the process, the guard performs his movements according to the following patten:
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
- The sentinel marches 21 steps across the black mat, past the final resting places of the Unknown Soldiers of World War I, World War II, Korea, and the crypt of the Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War.
- With a crisp turn, the sentinel turns 90 degrees (not about-face) to face east for 21 seconds.
- The sentinel then turns a sharp 90 degrees again to face north for 21 seconds. A crisp "shoulder-arms" movement places the rifle on the shoulder nearest the visitors to signify that the sentinel stands between the tomb and any threat.
After the moment, the sentinel paces 21 steps north, turns and repeats the process.
3. Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.
According to the FAQ on the web site of the Society of the HonorGuard — Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, this is correct.
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.
Snopes: As noted above, the guard shifts his rifle prior to each21-step walk to ensure that it is always carried on his outside shoulder, the one away from the Tomb ("to signify that the sentinel stands between the tomb and any threat").
5. How often are the guards changed?
Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days
a year.
Slight Change from Snopes: From 1926 through 1937, the Tomb was guarded only during daylight hours. Ever since 1937, the Tomb has been continuously guarded24 hours a day, every day of the year. Tomb guards are changed every thirty minutes between8 AM and7 PM during the period from early Spring to early Autumn (April 1 throughSeptember 30 ), and every hour between8 AM to5 PM the rest of the year. At all other times (i.e., while the cemetery is closed), the guard is changed every two hours.
Go here to read more about the Sentinels:
www.homeofheroes.com/gravesites/unknowns/0_unknowns_sentinels.html
6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?
) or off-base in housing of their choosing. There are no restrictions on guards' off-duty drinking.
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." This is also true, according to the ANC web site:
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.
Even the Old Guard doesn't regulate the off-duty lives of its members so stringently! Sentinels at the Tomb do not have to commit to serving there for any fixed period of time, and the average tour of duty is only about half the two year period claimed here. Like most servicemen, Tomb guards may live eitheron-base (at nearby Fort Myer
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.
Read more about this at http://www.snopes.com/military/unknown.asp
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} (correction: Joe Louis) and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame.
Snopes correction: A Tomb guard's behavior is not so stringently regulated that he is prohibited from speaking to anyone for a full six months (someone seems to have confused the Old Guard with a monastery!), and guards may do whatever they want (including watching TV) during their off-duty hours. But since any soldier wishing to become a sentinel must undergo rigorous training, including several hours a day of marching, rifle drill and uniform preparation, and every tomb sentinel is expected to be completely versed in the history of both the tomb and of Arlington National Cemetery (including knowing how to find the graves of all the prominent person
Read more of Snopes corrections at http://www.snopes.com/military/unknown.asp
Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.
Read more at: http://www.homeofheroes.com/gravesites/unknowns/0_unknowns.htmlETERNAL 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.
Snopes says that the above is true.
Although serving as President of the United States qualifies one to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, only two former Presidents are interredthere — William Howard Taft andJohn F. Kennedy
Read more at the following site:
The Sentinels of the Tombs of the Unknown
(Arlington National Cemetery)
Memorial Day Services at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Click photos to enlarge
Sgt. Maj. Woodrow
English, of the U.S.
Army Band, plays
"Taps" after the
Memorial Day
Wreath was placed
at the Tomb of the
Unknowns,
Arlington National
Cemetery.
President George
W. Bush places the
Memorial Day
wreath at Arlington
National Cemetery
Monday, assisted
by Sgt. 1st Class
Frederick Geary of
the 3rd U.S.
Infantry, the
sergeant of the
guard at the Tomb
of the Unknowns.
Memorial Amphi-
theater's capacity
audience stands
for the presen-
tation of the
colors during the
Memorial Day
observance at
Arlington.
With the wreath for
the White House
Moment of
Remembrance
before the Tomb
of the Unknowns
and other Memorial
Day wreaths laid out
behind, honor guard
sentinels engage in
a change of the
guard the afternoon
of Memorial Day
2003.
The sentinels guard
the tomb around the
clock. During the
summer months,
the public can view
guard changes on
the hour and half
hour from 7 a.m. to
7 p.m.
President George
W. Bush accepts the
applause of the a
audience at
Arlington National
Cemetery Memorial
Amphitheater after
being introduced by
Secretary of
Defense Donald
Rumsfeld with
praise for the
"clarity of hiS
leadership."
President Bush laid
a wreath at the
Tomb of the
Unknowns and
recalled the recent
heroism and
sacrifice of service
members in battles
in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
National Cartoonist Remember Memorial Day
Click here to view many more . . .
Memorable Memorial Sites - lest we forget
On this Memorial Day weekend you might find the following sites interesting.
click below
God Bless and keep them.
2005
I don't usually suggest that many emails or web pages 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 our armed service no matter where they serve.
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