junebug
06-24-2008, 09:40 AM
She's always sending me interesting emails, most of which should be forwarded but i don't have anyone on my contacts really but her, lol. But she sent me this one and i thought i'd share. I already knew a lot of what these awesome soldiers did in regards to this honor, but WOW. Talk about devotion!
i just copied and pasted from my email.
ARLINGTON CEMETERY - 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 --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? 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' an d 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.
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 hurri cane, the military members assign
ed 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. God Bless and keep them.
I don't usually suggest that many emails be forwarded, but I'd be very
proud if this one reached as many as possible. We can be very proud of
our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve.
IN GOD WE TRUST.
i just copied and pasted from my email.
ARLINGTON CEMETERY - 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 --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? 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' an d 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.
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 hurri cane, the military members assign
ed 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. God Bless and keep them.
I don't usually suggest that many emails be forwarded, but I'd be very
proud if this one reached as many as possible. We can be very proud of
our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve.
IN GOD WE TRUST.