Now THIS is a tough job

[Kingsac]

This must take a special kind of person.
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."

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 recipient 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.


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

[Nomar4prez]

This can't be true. Alot of stuff could be true(no drinking, swearing for rest of life), but not being able to talk to anyone for the first 6 months? Is there a benefit to this other than the obvious(national pride, etc)?

[Kingsac]

now I have to admit that it sounds incredibly extream, and I did get this from a not so honest (bull$hitter) friend. Despite all that I do believe it.

[LBJackal]

A guy in my keeper league that I've known for 3 years is the funeral director or something at Arlington Nat'l Cemetary. He was featured in a Washington Post article after 9/11 when they had so many people to bury in such a short amount of time. He's a war vet, and all that stuff too. I'll ask him about this. Sounds pretty cool if it's real, although I don't know if it's soemthing I'd devote my life to.

[Madison]

Hmm.....I admit I'm not completely convinced, but if in fact all of that is true, then it's certainly a tough job.

[Tavish]

It's somewhat of an urban legend .

[DieHardCubbie]

It's somewhat of an urban legend .

actually some of it is a "urban legend"....my great uncle served in the HGANC...

1-6 are true....for the most part..

but they only have rules governing the "on duty" hours....not all of the "service life"....as long as the "service life" is not detremental to the "honor of the men who served"....