US Army, another side

[xoxoxoBruce]

This is also the US Army.
TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER
Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Sentinels of the Third United States Infantry Regiment "Old Guard"

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?
No, 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".

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 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 Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame. Every guard spends FIVE HOURS A DAY getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.

The Sentinels Creed:
My dedication to this sacred duty is total and wholehearted. In the responsibility bestowed on me never will I falter. And with dignity and perseverance my standard will remain perfection. Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability. It is he who commands the respect I protect. His bravery that made us so proud. Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored glory rest under my eternal vigilance.

Recently, while you were sleeping, the teeth of hurricane Isabel came through this area and tore hell out of everything. We had thousands of trees down, power outages, traffic signals out, roads filled with downed limbs and "gear adrift" debris. We had flooding and the place looked like it had been the impact area of an off-shore bombardment.

The Regimental Commander of the U.S. Third Infantry sent word to the nighttime Sentry Detail to secure the post and seek shelter from the high winds, to ensure their personal safety.

THEY DISOBEYED THE ORDER!
During winds that turned over vehicles and turned debris into projectiles, the measured step continued. One fellow said "I've got buddies getting shot at in Iraq who would kick my butt if word got to them that we let them down. I sure as hell have no intention of spending my Army career being known as the damned idiot who couldn't stand a little light breeze and shirked his duty." Then he said something in response to a female reporters question regarding silly purposeless personal risk... "I wouldn't expect you to understand. It's an enlisted man's thing." God bless the rascal... In a time in our nation's history when spin and total b.s. seem to have become the accepted coin-of-the-realm, there beat hearts - the enlisted hearts we all knew and were so damn proud to be a part of - that fully understand that devotion to duty is not a part-time occupation. While we slept, we were represented by some damn fine men who fully understood their post orders and proudly went about their assigned responsibilities unseen, unrecognized and in the finest tradition of the American Enlisted Man.

[DanaC]

Thanks for that Bruce. Despite my anger at what is happening in Iraq I do believe that the majority of soldiers do their best under difficult circumstances . I also believe that the bravery of anybody who will put their lives at risk for others has to be commended.

The military in all our countries have noble traditions and their histories are as replete with tales of honour and courage as they are marred by tales of brutality

[Kitsune]

Some very impressive restrictions those people must endure and I know I couldn't do it. That is some serious discipline.

Small note on the hurricane guard -- "A contingency plan had been established that if winds reached 120 mph the guards could retreat from their usual exposed-to-the-elements posts in the tomb plaza to take up positions in trophy room, which is above the tomb plaza and has a clear view of the sepulcher. (The Tomb of the Unknowns is a small box-like white building situated in an open area close to the middle of the cemetery.) This plan was not put into effect."

Damn fine men.

[smoothmoniker]

I've been to that spot several times - I make it a point to visit Arlington whenever I'm in the DC area. It's good to spend an hour or so walking the grounds, and to quietly contemplate the cost of freedom.

I often wonder if we'll ever reach a point where freedom is the true and recognized birthright of every person, and where states govern for the good of their people, and where wars of aggression are never fought, and wars of defense are never needed. I wonder if there will ever come a time when we no longer need to pay the cost for freedom.

I'm hopeful, but not very optimistic.

-sm

That's why they call it war. It brings out the very worst in some people. The soldiers and especially their commanding officers responsible for what went on there should be severely punished. But the majority of our guys are decent men doing the best they can to serve their country. I may disagree violently with our government and our politicians, but I will never be down on our troops with the exception of individuals like the ones who took part in the torture incidents, and those men were the exception.

[xoxoxoBruce]

A week or two ago, I wrote to a marine that's in Iraq, and in the thick of it. I told him if he could get internet access, we'd love to hear from him, here in the Cellar. I heard on Friday, he got email access, so I'm hopeing.

[richlevy]

I believe very strongly in supporting our troops. I also hate it when politicians try to catch a little of the reflected glory. I'm all for the occasional fact finding tour, but blatant photo ops showing a senator, or president, with smiling troops pisses me off.

Since soldiers are limited by the uniform code in their behavior, visiting troops is a safe bet for any politician, even ones who are loathed by a significant portion.