The information below was received through an anonymous email in 2004.
We will be pleased to give credit for photos and composition if and when we know to whom such credit belongs.
On the other hand, it somehow seems appropriate that an "unknown" gave tribute to the Tomb of the Unknown...
Keeping the Faith
at
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
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.
How
long does he hesitate after his about face
to begin his
return walk and why?
21 seconds--for the same reason as
the answer above.
Why
are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to prevent his
losing his grip on the rifle.
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.
How often are the guards changed?
Guards are changed every
thirty minutes,
twenty-four
hours a day, 365 days a year.
What must the
physical traits of the guard be?
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 guards must obey
these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.
Their
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.
During 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
Every
guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.
In
2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching
