Don't know If this has been posted before
wanted to post it anyway....


Did you know......
This takes a special kind of soldier!!!!

1. How many steps does the guard take
during his walk past the tomb of the
unknown soldier and why...?

Answer...21 steps. It alludes to the
twenty-one gun salute which 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...?

Answer. Twenty one seconds for the same reason as
answer number 1.

3. Why are his gloves wet?

Answer. His gloves are moistened to prevent his
losing grip on his rifle.

4.Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder
all the time, and if not why not?

Answer. He carries his rifle on the shoulder away
from the tomb. After his march past the tomb he
executes an about face, and moves the rifle to the
outside shoulder away from the tomb.

5. How often does the guard change?

Answer. Guards are changed every thirty minutes,
twenty four hours a day.365 days a year.

6. What are the physical traits of the guards
limited to?

Answer. 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 requirments of the guard:

They must commit two years of life to guard the
tomb, live in the 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.fter two years, the guard
is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel
signifying they served as a guard of the tomb.


The guard must obey these rules for the rest of
their lives, or give up the 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 Cemetary.
A guard must memorize who they are and where they
are interred.Among the notables are President Taft,
Joe E. Lewis {The boxer }and a medal of honor winner
Audie Murphy {the most decorated soldier of WW II }
and a hollywood star.

Every guard spends five hours a day getting his
uniform ready for guard duty.

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



I dont know how old this is but thought it was worth posting anyway


Boonedog

I knew a lot of this but not that they had to live like monks the rest of their lives.
And then Bush sent the soldiers to get killed for oil

interesting

WOW! Very touching...........

I've witnessed the march and the Changing Of The Guard with my own eyes in 1981. Very powerful and moving.

I am a vietnam vet ...Two things that I want to do before I die is see the wall,And visit the tomb of the unknown soldier....I read this earlier and wanted to post it as it moved me alot.....