Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

tomtom22

tomtom22

Chief Engineer
Thought your job was tough???

On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns ------ All three missed it ---

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

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 path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

5. How often are the guards changed?

The Guard is changed every thirty minutes during the summer (April 1 to Sep 30) and every hour during the winter (Oct 1 to Mar 31). During the hours the cemetery is closed, the guard is changed every 2 hours. The Tomb is guarded, and has been guarded, every minute of every day since 1937.

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."

The Tomb Guard Identification Badge is awarded after the Sentinel passes a series of tests. The Badge is permanently awarded after a Sentinel has served 9 months as a Sentinel at the Tomb. Over 500 have been awarded since its creation in the late 1950's. And while the Badge can be revoked, the offense must be such that it discredits the Tomb. The Badge is a full size award, worn on the right pocket of the uniform jacket, not a lapel pin.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1937.

Edited by tomtom22 on 10/30/05 based on facts provided by The Cooler King in his post.

:salute2:
 
This is from the Arlington National Cemetary website

Training Information on the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard)

Tomb of the Unknowns Sentinels

Sentinels are recruited on an "as-needed" basis in one of the following ways:

Self-referral: The soldier volunteers for duty directly to Company H.

Through chain-of-command: The soldier volunteers for duty through the commanding officer of the company in which he or she is assigned.

From commander of Company H: The commander of the Tomb sentinels requests soldiers from the commanders of other companies

There are three stages to training, with the second and third stages being essentially one. It is divided in the following manner:

TDY: Temporary Duty – 14 to 21 days following recruitment. The soldier is not permanently assigned to the company.

Basic Training: consisting of two stages of exterior training, such as training in the discipline of standing watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. These two stages are:

Low-visibility walks – guard duty is assigned to new Sentinels during hours in which the cemetery is closed to the public.
High-visibility walks – guard duty is assigned to sentinels during normal Cemetery-operation hours.
During the latter stages, sentinels must learn the answers to 300 questions about ANC.

The training on knowledge and military bearing: This stage usually takes five to seven months to finish.

More than 50 soldiers apply or are recruited annually. Of those, one quarter are accepted or choose to accept duty as Tomb Sentinels. Few soldiers resign from duty in Company E after they begin formal training.

Soldiers who volunteer or are referred by their company commanders for consideration are interviewed by the commander of Company E, or the Sergeant of the Guard. Each soldier is evaluated for motivation and dedication, based upon their responses to questions that center on personal and military history, and expressed interest in, and reasons for wanting to be Tomb Sentinels.

If the candidate is married, the spouse is invited to meet with the commander and express his or her opinions. There are no physicals required for selection as a Tomb Sentinel. The Department of the Army requires its soldiers to be in top physical condition.

All of the training takes place at ANC. Soldiers selected as Tomb Sentinels are assigned full time. Their training takes up to eight months to complete.

Once the sentinel has completed his or her training, he or she is examined formally for proficiency in performing the duties and in knowledge of ANC. He or she must first pass a written examination of 100 questions about ANC and then be evaluated on proficiency in keeping watch at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Upon successful completion, the soldier is awarded a temporary Tomb Guard's Badge at a ceremony presided over by the company commander. The Badge is one of the Army's higher honors and can be taken away from the soldier if he or she does not continue to maintain the highest military standards.
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"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"
"The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV"
for me to believe that i would need some sources, one b/c this country was founded over alcohol and the rest of your life is a long time ;). and no swearing, hey $h1t happens, impossible to never curse and whose to decide whats a curse word or not? 6months no talking to anyone, how is he going to learn his job w/o tlaking to others who are currently in the job. best place to get knowledge is to pick someones brain who knows what there doing. and how will he get current world news, does he get every newspaper in the world or is he just going to be SOL when it comes down to whats goin on in the world?

1 thing more believable but sounds like a waste of time "Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty" how could it take 5hrs w/ a uniform, i could understand 2hrs for someone who is slow but it sounds like barrack support, just a time killer, to say they do something. they probably all chill around a TV playing PS2 or something. it sounds fishy to me.
 
Actually he is right. As much as I LOOOOOOOVE both alchohol and swearing, I think this is actually really cool. One thing America is devoid of is tradition. I am a big fan of strong tradition, things like samuri and such so I absolutley LOVE the hard tradition evident in the Toumb of the Unknown soldier.

I love it, it makes me proud to be an American and I usually shed a tear or two anytme I visit the tomb.
 
hoohaa310 said:
This is from the Arlington National Cemetary website

Training Information on the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard)

Tomb of the Unknowns Sentinels

Sentinels are recruited on an "as-needed" basis in one of the following ways:

Self-referral: The soldier volunteers for duty directly to Company H.

Through chain-of-command: The soldier volunteers for duty through the commanding officer of the company in which he or she is assigned.

From commander of Company H: The commander of the Tomb sentinels requests soldiers from the commanders of other companies

There are three stages to training, with the second and third stages being essentially one. It is divided in the following manner:

TDY: Temporary Duty – 14 to 21 days following recruitment. The soldier is not permanently assigned to the company.

Basic Training: consisting of two stages of exterior training, such as training in the discipline of standing watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. These two stages are:

Low-visibility walks – guard duty is assigned to new Sentinels during hours in which the cemetery is closed to the public.
High-visibility walks – guard duty is assigned to sentinels during normal Cemetery-operation hours.
During the latter stages, sentinels must learn the answers to 300 questions about ANC.

The training on knowledge and military bearing: This stage usually takes five to seven months to finish.

More than 50 soldiers apply or are recruited annually. Of those, one quarter are accepted or choose to accept duty as Tomb Sentinels. Few soldiers resign from duty in Company E after they begin formal training.

Soldiers who volunteer or are referred by their company commanders for consideration are interviewed by the commander of Company E, or the Sergeant of the Guard. Each soldier is evaluated for motivation and dedication, based upon their responses to questions that center on personal and military history, and expressed interest in, and reasons for wanting to be Tomb Sentinels.

If the candidate is married, the spouse is invited to meet with the commander and express his or her opinions. There are no physicals required for selection as a Tomb Sentinel. The Department of the Army requires its soldiers to be in top physical condition.

All of the training takes place at ANC. Soldiers selected as Tomb Sentinels are assigned full time. Their training takes up to eight months to complete.

Once the sentinel has completed his or her training, he or she is examined formally for proficiency in performing the duties and in knowledge of ANC. He or she must first pass a written examination of 100 questions about ANC and then be evaluated on proficiency in keeping watch at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Upon successful completion, the soldier is awarded a temporary Tomb Guard's Badge at a ceremony presided over by the company commander. The Badge is one of the Army's higher honors and can be taken away from the soldier if he or she does not continue to maintain the highest military standards.
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Very impressive. :bravo:
 
Hmmm, i have no idea what to make of that... While impressive in dedication it honestly seems a bit overboard to me. Would these people who are buried in Arlington really want these men to go all thru that? I know it's an honour for the guard, but it just seems a little crazy to me...

Still very impressive however, i'm just not sure what to make of it.

Rich.
 
The regimen does seem a little extreme but as for how much of an honor it is to those who are interred and those who stand the post, I'll bet TomTom and LeEnfield could give us all a little insight on why. To both of you guys. :salute2:
 
MilidarUSMC said:
"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"
"The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV"
for me to believe that i would need some sources, one b/c this country was founded over alcohol and the rest of your life is a long time ;). and no swearing, hey $h1t happens, impossible to never curse and whose to decide whats a curse word or not? 6months no talking to anyone, how is he going to learn his job w/o tlaking to others who are currently in the job. best place to get knowledge is to pick someones brain who knows what there doing. and how will he get current world news, does he get every newspaper in the world or is he just going to be SOL when it comes down to whats goin on in the world?

1 thing more believable but sounds like a waste of time "Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty" how could it take 5hrs w/ a uniform, i could understand 2hrs for someone who is slow but it sounds like barrack support, just a time killer, to say they do something. they probably all chill around a TV playing PS2 or something. it sounds fishy to me.
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I agree with Milidar
 
Well I must admit that things are not that extreme over here, also I don't think that they would find many men in the Army that could give up drinking and swearing for life, even the Padres swear just like the troopers and the ones I knew would mix it with the soldiers.
 
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.

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 either on-base (at nearby Fort Myer) or off-base in housing of their choosing. There are no restrictions on guards' off-duty drinking.

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 Tomb Guard Identification Badge, first awarded in 1957, is a honor for which a guard qualifies by "flawlessly performing his duty for several months" and passing a test, not something simply handed out to everyone who serves for a given period of time:

Once the sentinel has completed his or her training, he or she is examined formally for proficiency in performing the duties and in knowledge of ANC. He or she must first pass a written examination of 100 questions about ANC and then be evaluated on proficiency in keeping watch at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Upon successful completion, the soldier is awarded a temporary Tomb Guard's Badge at a ceremony presided over by the company commander. The Badge is one of the Army's higher honors and can be taken away from the soldier if he or she does not continue to maintain the highest military standards.

The 500th Tomb Guard Identification Badge was awarded in early 2002, and the total number of recipients is now about 525. The award is, as its name states, a badge worn on the pocket of a uniform jacket, not a pin worn in the lapel.

Although the claim that guards "cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives" is fallacious, there is some truth to the notion that the Tomb Guard Identification Badge can be taken away, even after the recipient has left the service. According to Old Guard Public Affairs:

The Tomb Guard Identification Badge is one of the least awarded badges in the Army, second only to the Astronaut Badge. Since the sentinels are held to such a high standard, if they ever do anything that is deemed behavior unbecoming a Tomb Guard or brings dishonor upon the Tomb, their badges may be revoked, even after [the sentinels] have left active duty military service.

As of early 2002, there had been nine revocations of the Tomb Guard Identification Badge.
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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 buried in the cemetery), they don't necessarily have a lot of free time to devote to recreational activities.

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.

Joe Louis (aka "The Brown Bomber"), Heavyweight Champion of the World between 1937 and 1949, is the boxer interred at Arlington National Cemetery. (Joe E. Lewis, the comedian, is buried in New Jersey.) Although Joe Louis served in the Army during World War II he did not meet the technical requirements for burial at Arlington, but he is interred there because President Reagan waived the requirements when Louis died in 1981.

We close here with a bit of trivia suggested by the above item:

Although serving as President of the United States qualifies one to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, only two former Presidents are interred there — William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy
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