Sunday, March 25, 2012

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier


The tomb of the unknown soldier is guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In other words, it is never left unattended. It has been guarded by the US Military for every single second since 1930. That, students, is remarkable. Here is some information about the men who guard the tomb: As the guard walks across the platform of the Tomb, he takes 21 steps, which symbolizes the 21 gun salute, which is the highest honor given to anyone. Before he starts his walk back across the tomb, he pauses for 21 seconds exactly, again symbolizing the 21 gun salute. The soldiers gloves are wet, to give them better grip on their rifle. Guards change every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. (yeah, that means during the night too). For a person to be qualified to guard the tomb, they must be between 5'10" and 6'2" for height. His waist size cannot exceed 30 inches. He must commit 2 years of his life to the guard and live in barracks under the tomb. They 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. They cannot disgrace the uniform in anyway. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin signifying they served in the Guard. There are only 400 people with the wreath pin in the US. Their shoes are specially designed with thick soles to prevent their feet from getting cold or hot. The first six months of guard duty, the men can not talk to anyone or watch TV. All their time off duty is spent studying the 175 notable people buried in Arlington National Cemetery. They must memorize who they are and where they are buried. Each day, a guard spends 5 hours getting their uniform ready. Even in 2003 when Hurricane Isabelle was approaching, the Guards refused to leave the tomb unguarded. Despite the drenching rain and high wind, they held their ground and continued to march. These truly are remarkable men.

What can you do in your life that is remarkable?

3 comments:

3BryceA said...

To not pollute the earth

3BryceA said...

To not pollute the earth

Mr. Klumper said...

Dear Anonymous: the information in this blog post about the soldiers who guard the tomb of the unknown soldier is exactly what snopes says. It is accurate information.