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 o r 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.