"How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the "Tomb of the Unknowns"?"

ARLINGTON CEMETERY

Jeopardy Question:

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

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.

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 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 hurricane,

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 service person.

 The tomb has been patrolled continuously,
24/7, since 1930.  

 God Bless and keep them.  

I'd be very proud

if this email reached as many as possible.

We can be very proud

of our young men and women in the service

no matter where they serve.

God Bless America.

No credit taken as this was sent to me in an Email Thanks Fred Mock