Just wanted to share this with you all.

[Tasslehoff]

Did you know..........

This must take a special kind of person.

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" 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.

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

I don't know if you saw this in the news but it

really impressed me. Funny, our US Senate/House took 2 days off as they

couldn't work because of the expected storm.

On the ABC evening news, it was reported tonight that, because of the

dangers from Hurricane Isabelle approaching Washington DC, 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.

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.

THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW

Tass

[LizShue]

Quite interesting reading!

[Wolf]

Goes to show how strongly people can feel about their sense of duty and commitment

[Kelnica]

Very interesting, indeed! Thank you so much for sharing this with us! *salute*

[Chris]

hooah

[Devin Ashley]

Goes to show that there Honor for duty and respect for what they do is highter then everyone else's

they should be saluted for there efforts