[BC75]

This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the chance Very fascinating.


Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

[SIZE=4]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

[SIZE=4]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

[SIZE=4]3. Why are his gloves wet?


His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the


rifle.

[SIZE=2]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.

[SIZE=2]5. How often are the guards changed?


Guards are changed every thirty minutes,


twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

[SIZE=2]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 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.

[/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE]

[BC75]

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.

[FATMAN]

i have been there it is a amazing sight to watch actually 4 members of my senior class got to present a wreath there

[Batpuff]

I would love to see it one day.

[The Fan]

if you ever get to DC check out the changing of the guard it gives you such a sense of pride for some reason . W hen I was there they was 2 boys behind me giggling I looked for them after was going to rip them couldnt find them I was mad and check out the Vietnam Wall i found 2 men from Magoffin on it . There is catalogs there you look in it find your state then find your county then it tells what section and line there names are on really fascinating stuff in DC Ford Theater you can get within a couple of feet Where Lincoln was sitting and no wonder Boothe broke his leg that was a long jump had to be 30-40 feet . I seen a kid sit on Lincoln's lap at the Lincoln memorial secret service was on him in about 15-20 seconds they came from everywhere . DC is one of my favorite places to visit so much History there

[Amun-Ra]

Been to DC twice and saw the changing of the guard both times. It is inspirational. love it in DC

[thetribe]

Though I've never seen it, we have talked about it here before. It is a really respectful service and I would love to see it someday.

[THUNDERCHILD]

Truly something I would love to experience. Thanks for posting BC75.

[Doc Holliday]

I have added this to my thing to do list, I had already planned on visiting Audie Murphys grave.

[cards_athlete]

This sounds great, I would love to see it.

[DTfan]

I've been to D.C. and I saw every monument including the Vietnam Wall and even went to Arlington for couple hours but we didn't go to the Tomb. We were suppose to see the changing of the guard but for some reason we got behind schedule and had to cancel it. I loved it in D.C. I spent a week there and that was in no way long enough to fully do everything. When I was there we also went in the Capitol and met Hal Rogers and others and that very day some idiot flew into the area not knowing and we all had to be evacuated...it was something...