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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 contestants missed
it!
This
is really an awesome sight to
watch
if
you've never had the chance.
Fascinating.
Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier
1.
How
many steps does the guard
take
during his
walk across the tomb
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
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
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.
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 or the tomb in any way.
After two
years, the guard is given a wreath
pin
that is
worn on his lapel
signifying
he served as guard of the
tomb.
There are
only 400 presently worn.
The guards
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
Lewis {the boxer}
Medal
of Honor winner Audie L. Murphy, the most
decorated
soldier of WWII and of Hollywood
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