The Highest Honor

The Jeopardy Question No One Could Answer

  ARLINGTON  CEMETERY
On Jeopardy, 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!

 

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 their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb.
There are only 400 presently worn. The guard 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 William H. Taft
President John F. Kennedy
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.
IN GOD WE TRUST

I got this in an e-mail and wanted to share it. How incredible! No drinking alcohol or swearing in public for the rest of their lives... for some that would be a huge sacrifice. I remember visiting the tomb when I was in Washington when I was probably about 8 years old. And at that age I didn't realize what any of it was or really what it meant. I just remember I had to be absolutely silent. God bless these men, and all of the men and women serving in our military!