[redwitch]

Slightly inaccurate.

1. This has never been a Jeopardy question, final or otherwise.

2. The guards do not do an about face, they do 90 degree turns.

3. Height requirements are 5'10" to 6'4" with a proportionate body. No 30" waist.

4. They have two-hour shifts, not thirty minutes.

4. They can do whatever they like when off duty. It is the military, not a monastery. However, of the 500+ awards (issued not lapel pins, pocket patches), 9 have been taken away due to conduct unbecoming someone in the military and this can occur even when no longer in the military. Nor are their barracks below the Tomb.

5. Shoes are standard issue military shoes with the sole and heel built to be the same height (makes for better posture).

6. While they do spend tremendous hours studying, they do go out for some recreation. It is an honored position, but it is a job nonetheless.

7. Joe Louis is the boxer. Louis was given Presidential dispensation (sorry, can't remember the President) to be buried there. Joe E. Louis is the comedian. Every POTUS can be buried at Arlington, but only two are -- Taft and Kennedy.

Just another FYI, the only patch with less being issued is the Astronaut patch.

The men and women (I believe their height requirements are different) who make up this Honor Guard compete hard for this duty. They are dedicated soldiers. They study hard. They understand the honor bestowed on them and most behave accordingly. But they are still human, not saints. They drink, they drive, they curse and sometimes they even carrouse.