Taphophilia.(dot) Com - Interesting Facts About the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Interesting Facts About the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Saturday, 22 May 2004

How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb and why?
21 steps. It alludes to the 21 gun salute, the highest honor given any military dignitary.

How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his walk again and why?
21 seconds (Same as above)

Why are his gloves wet?
To prevent the rifle from slipping out of his hands.

Does he carry the rifle on the same soldier all the time?
He carry the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he excutes an about face, and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

How often are the guards changed?
Every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

What are the physical traits of the guards limited to?
Guards must be between 5'10" and 6'2' tall and their waist size cannot exceed 30 inches.

The guards 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 or the tomb in any way. After 2 years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying that they served as a guard of the tomb. There are only 400 pins presently worn. The guards must obey these rules or surrender the pin.

Their shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold out. There are metal plate heels that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt.

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 Arlington National Cemetary. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred.

When a hurricane was passing over Arlington, the commander of the guard told his men they could come in out of the wind. What was their reply, "No", that they would serve their guard duty to honor the men and women who have died defending our country.

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