On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was, How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the Tomb of the Unknowns? ------ All three missed it ---

This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the chance Very fascinating.

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
hisreturn 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 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.

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 serviceperson.
The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.

God Bless and Keep Them

I don't usually suggest that many emails be forwarded, but I'd be very proud if this one reached as many people as possible.
We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve.
Duty - Honor - Country
IN GOD WE TRUST

[jgm3279]

Thanks for sharing~ I was fortunate enough to witness this a few years ago, something I will never forget!

[BK001]

What a great and interesting post. So glad you shared it with us. Thank you

[chuckinca]

Alcohol and swearing lifetime rules probably means not many former guards in TV.

.

[rubicon]

Requirements for the Honor guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier clergy please take notice

Impressive piece of information

[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.

[John_W]

Originally Posted by redwitch

Slightly inaccurate.

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

Jeopardy Show #4751 which was aired on Monday, April 11, 2005 Season 21, during the Ultimate Tournament of Champions round 1. The three contestants were David Venderbush, a lawyer from New York, New York, Scott Gillispie, a project manager and expectant father from Atlanta, Georgia and Steven Popper, an economist from Topanga, California.

The final Jeopardy question, Category was ARLINGTON'S TOMB OF UNKNOWNS and the question was "Sentinels at the tomb walk exactly this many steps at a time before they stop & turn". The three guesses were wrong, 13, 50 and 10. Scott won with a final score of $7100, but took home $15,000 since it was a tournament and he advanced onto round 2.

J! Archive - Season 21

J! Archive - Show #4751, aired 2005-04-11

[Bogie Shooter]

I too missed this line in the OP....

I don't usually suggest that many emails be forwarded,

[mgjim]

I served on ROTC duty with a former member of the Old Guard. He said that he was slightly below the height standard to be accepted but he was allowed to wear lifts to bring him up to standard. He was easily the sharpest soldier I ever served with (and he did drink a beer or two whenever we cooked out).

Sorry. I didn't think to check all the facts. All I was ddoing is copying and pasting an email I received. Guess I won't be doing that anymore. ...jeez

[redwitch]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan

Sorry. I didn't think to check all the facts. All I was ddoing is copying and pasting an email I received. Guess I won't be doing that anymore. ...jeez

Sorry, didn't mean to sound critical. I truly appreciate the fact that you took the effort to remind us that being an Honor Guard is not an easy job, I just hate the idea that people think they have to be saints for the remainder of their lives. (And shame on the person who started the email with so many wrong facts.)

And John_W, thanks for setting me straight on the Jeopardy question and no comment on the contestants who couldn't even make a reasonable guess.

And just to correct myself, Joe E. Lewis was the comedian.

[justjim]

Careful of what you read on the Internet as emails overtime sometimes get changed and embellished as they are forwarded from email address to email address. If you haven't been to the tomb of the unknown solider you got to go.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by justjim

Careful of what you read on the Internet as emails overtime sometimes get changed and embellished as they are forwarded from email address to email address. If you haven't been to the tomb of the unknown solider you got to go.

I went there in May of 2015 and my older brother moved into an apartment in Alexandria where one of these men-- there are a few of these who are women-- lived with his wife just before that.

Only saw the wife at the door when they dropped off some kind of payment for the landlord.

[John_W]

5. How often are the guards changed?

Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

They have two-hour shifts, not thirty minutes.

You're both partially right, the correct answer; The Guard is changed every thirty minutes during the summer (April 1 to Sep 30) and every hour during the winter (Oct 1 to Mar 31). During the hours the cemetery is closed, the guard is changed every 2 hours. The Tomb is guarded, and has been guarded, every minute of every day since 1937.

FAQ - Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

[VApeople]

We just moved here from Northern Virginia and we have visited Arlington Cemetery many times. One time we met an American family who lived in New Zealand and I said they would enjoy seeing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where a member of the Honor Guard guards the Tomb 24 hours a day. A teen-ager in the family said, "What's the point of that?"

To be honest, I was flabbergasted. I didn't know what to say. I do know that we have seen many, many people watch the changing of the guard. From the look on their faces, I think they all know what it signifies.

Here is a video that you may like, about two veterans buried at Arlington.

G.I. Joe & Lillie - The Oak Ridge Boys - YouTube