nointel Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 The Jeopardy Question No One Could Answer ARLINGTON CEMETERY Jeopardy Question: 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 contestants 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 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. 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 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 Lewis {the boxer} Medal of Honor winner Audie L. Murphy, the most decorated soldier of WWII and 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. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhYeah Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 very very cool.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1978parker Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 thanks for the post. Very, very interesting and educational. I had no idea! I got goose bumps reading this. The dedication, determination and discipline of these men is utterly amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saslas Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 I had known of some of the requirements of being assigned the honor of guarding the tomb of the unknown soldier, but not all. What dedication it takes to do this is amazing and it would certainly take an amazing person to dedicate themselves to this. Thank you for posting, I think we all need to be reminded of these kinds of special and awesome assignments given to our awesome and special men and women in the armed forces. May God bless and keep them in the palm of His hand. And, May God Bless America and keep her safe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soldiering4U Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 My Good friend and Next door neighbor wears one of those pins on his uniform and does it proudly... I thank him and all that guard that tomb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinnidan Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 well, it would be simple if you been there and either done your homework on military history or asked someone about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islandgirl7 Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 This is to Roadrunner..if you're still on this topic please read my 911 post and see if you can help me....thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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