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 winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated

soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame.

He spend 5 hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,

AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

I don't know if you saw this in the news but it really impressed me.

Funny, our US Senate/House took 2 days off as they couldn't work because

of the expected storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported tonight

that, because of the dangers from Hurricane Isabelle approaching Washington

DC, 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.

We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter

where they serve.

God Bless them.