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Anybody Know one of these Guys?
Arlington Cemetary; Very Interesting
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> 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 ---
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> This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the
> chance Very fascinating.
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> Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
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> 1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the
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> tomb of the Unknowns and why?
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> 21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the
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> highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.
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> 2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his
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> return walk and why?
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> 21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1
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> 3. Why are his gloves wet?
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> His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the
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> rifle.
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> 4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time
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> and if not, why not?
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> He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb.
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> After his march across the path, he executes an about face
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> and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.
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> 5. How often are the guards changed?
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> Guards are changed every thirty minutes,
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> twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.
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> 6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?
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> For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be
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> between 5' 10' and 6' 2' tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30.'
> Other
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> requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of life to guard
> the
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> tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol
> on
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> or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public
> for the
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> rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the
> tomb in
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> any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn
> on
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> their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are
> only
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> 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of
> their
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> lives or give up the wreath pin.
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> The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat
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> and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to
> the
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> top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a
> halt.
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> There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for
> duty
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> in front of a full-length mirror.
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> The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor
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> watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people
> laid
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> to rest in ArlingtonNationalCemetery . A guard must memorize who
> they are
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> and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft,
> Joe
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> E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most
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> decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame.
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> Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for
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> guard duty.
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> ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON
> THEM.
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> In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington , DC , our
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> US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the
> ABC
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> evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the
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> hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb
> of
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> the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment.
> They
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> respectfully declined the offer, 'No way, Sir!' Soaked to the skin,
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> marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that
> guarding
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> the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can
> be
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> afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously,
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> 24/7, since 1930.
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> God Bless and keep them.
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> Sonny
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