Story 1

May 23, 2008

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

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.

Facts about the tomb of unknown soldiers:
The Congress on March 4, 1921, approved a resolution providing for the burial in Arlington National Cemetery of an Unknown and unidentified American soldier of WWI. Many American soldiers who fought in WWI in France were buried in France. Many of these soldiers could not be identified. Four American soldiers were picked from cemeteries in France, but only one was chosen to have his body placed in the Arlington tomb on Nov. 11, 1921. The tomb, a simple white-marble structure, was dedicated Nov. 11, 1932. It is inscribed: "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God." On Memorial Day 1958 two more unknown soldiers, one from World War II and one from the Korean War, were buried at the head of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and since that time it has been called the Tomb of the Unknowns. On Memorial Day 1984, a soldier from the Vietnam War was interred; in 1998, genetic tests identified the remains of the Vietnam soldier that was killed in combat in 1972. He was laid to rest at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Missouri. It was decided that the crypt that held his remains will remain vacant.

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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

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About the construction of the tomb:
When the tomb was first used, a simple marble crypt was placed over the Unknown Soldier. This base remained until the decision to build an elaborate sarcophagus was made. The decision came after too many people had to be asked NOT to have their lunch on the Unknown Soldiers grave.

The Tomb was designed by Lorimer Rich and sculpted by Thomas H. Jones. It took over a year to complete, and was unveiled on 9 April 1931. The Tomb is broken into different parts, each weighing very heavy. The entire Tomb, minus the crypts, weighs 79 tons, and has 7 pieces:

Sub-Base:	15 tons, 4 pieces	Base:	16 tons, 1 piece
Dye:	36 tons, 1 piece	Cap:	12 tons, 1 piece

On the North and South faces of the Tomb, you can see a total of 6 inverted wreaths. Each of these wreaths have a certain number of leaves and berries, the Tomb Guard can rattle off the numbers. The wreaths are inverted to represent mourning, as well as the six major battle campaigns of World War I: Ardennes, Belleau Wood, Chateau-Thierry, Meusse-Argonne, Oisiu-Eiseu, and Somme.

On the East face of the Tomb you will find three figures, carved into the marble. This is the face most visitors to the Tomb do not see. The three figures, from left to right, represent Peace, Victory and Valor.

Peace (on the left) is holding a dove in her left hand, while holding the right hand of Victory. Valor (on the right) is holding a broken sword in his hands and is facing Victory. Victory (in the middle) is holding the hand of Peace and extending an olive branch towards Valor. This symbolized the devotion and sacrifice that went with courage to make the cause of righteousness triumphant.

As with any large marble memorial, there eventually flaws will develop as the marble settles. After the 12 ton cap was put in place a natural crack developed around the entire Tomb, about 3 feet off the base. On one wreath, the tip of a leaf was broken off.

On the West face of the Tomb, which is on the plaza and faces the Memorial Amphitheater, there is an inscription:
"Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God"

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Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

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Facts about the guard walk (also known as the "walking post")

• It takes 21 steps exactly for the guard (also known as Sentels) to walk across the tomb. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.


• It also takes 21 seconds of hesitation, after facing the tomb, to begin his return walk.


• The guard member moistens his gloves to prevent loosing his grip on the rifle.


• He carries his rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. Following his march across the path, he does an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.


• The guards are changed every thirty minutes, 1 April to 30 September. During the remainder of the year they change every hour. If the cemetery is closed the guard changes every two hours. The tomb has been guarded every minute of every day since 1937.


• There have been 3 female guards.

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The qualifications of a guard member for this detail

many of these have been misstated numerous times. The information that is listed here is from the "Society of the Honor Guard Tomb of the Unknown Soldier".

• must be an enlisted member of the Army, rank of E1-E7.


• height: must be between 5'11" and 6' 4" tall, waist: cannot exceed 30"


• the guard member cannot disgrace the uniform or the tomb in anyway.


• If of legal age to drink, they may drink alcohol off duty.


• There is no barracks under the tomb. They may live at Ft. Myer or live off base. There are quarters under the amphitheater while on duty though.


• There is no firm commitment timeframe, usually a member remains about a year.


• It has been stated they cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives, this is a false statement.


• The Tomb Guard Identification Badge is awarded after passing a series of tests.The Badge is permanently awarded after a Sentinel has served 9 months as a Sentinel at the Tomb. Over 500 have been awarded since its creation in the late 1950's. And while the Badge can be revoked, the offense must be such that it discredits the Tomb. Revocation is at the Regimental Commander's discretion. The Badge is a full size award, worn on the right pocket of the uniform jacket, not a lapel pin.


• The shoes are standard issue military dress shoes. They are built up so the sole and heel are equal in height, allowing the member to stand with his back straight and perpendicular to the ground. The Sentinel can "roll" on the outside of the build up as he walks down the mat. This allows him to move in a fluid fashion. If he does this correctly, his hat and bayonet will appear to not "bob" up and down with each step. It gives him a more formal and smooth look to his walk, rather than a "marching" appearance.

  The soles have a steel tip on the toe and a "horseshoe" steel plate on the heel. This prevents wear on the sole and allows the Sentinel to move smoothly during his movements. The "clicker" is a shank of steel attached to the inside of the face of the heel build-up on each shoe. It allows the click of heels during certain movements. If a guard change is really hot, it is called a "smoker" because all the heel clicks fall together and sound like one click. In fact, the guard change is occasionally done in the "silent" mode (as a sign of devotion to the Unknowns"). No voice commands - everything is done in relation to the heel clicks and on specific counts.



• The guards do need to study the locations where notable people are 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.

The Tomb Guards have contingencies that are ready to be executed IF the weather conditions EVER place the Soldiers at risk of injury or death - such as lightning, high winds, etc. This ensures that Sentinels can maintain the Tomb Guard responsibilities while ensuring soldier safety. It is the responsibility of the Chain of Command from the Sergeant of the Guard to the Regimental Commander to ensure mission accomplishment and soldier welfare at all times.

All proper precautions were taken to ensure the safety of the Sentinels while accomplishing their mission. Risk assessments are constantly conducted by the Chain of Command during changing conditions to ensure that soldier welfare is maintained during mission accomplishment.

God Bless and keep them.