[Nfbf-l] ARLINGTON CEMETERY

[MisterAdvocate at aol.com]

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 pat h,  
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 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.  

IN GOD WE  TRUST  
 
I  like this reminder.....hope u enjoy it