Unknowns and Old Guard
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Tomb of the Unknowns and the
Soldiers Who Stand Guard
 The Tomb - "Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God"
Tomb of the Unknowns: is also known as the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier. It stands on top of a hill overlooking Washington, D.C.
One of the more popular sites at the Cemetery, the tomb is made from
Yule marble quarried in Colorado. It consists of seven pieces, with a total
weight of seventy nine short
tons. The tomb was completed and opened to the public on the 9th of
April 1932, at a cost of $48,000. The Tomb has been perpetually guarded since the 2nd of
July 1937, the 3rd
U.S. Infantry Regiment ("The Old Guard") began guarding the Tomb on the 6th of
April 1948. The soldiers entombed here are:
    The soldiers who stand guard at the Tomb of the
Unknowns are considered to be the best of the elite 3d U.S. Infantry
(The Old Guard), headquartered at Fort Meyer, Virginia. Tomb Guard Sentinels
include both men and women, and are hand picked and rigorously trained. For a
person to apply for guard duty at the Tomb, the applicant must be between 5' 11"
and 6' 4" tall with a waist size that cannot exceed thity inches.
Each Sentinel must be able to flawlessly perform seven different types of
walks, honours and ceremonies, and retain vast amounts of knowledge concerning
the Tomb, Arlington National Cemetery and the US Army. The average tour at the
Tomb is about a year, although there is no set time for service. The Tomb has
been guarded every minute of every day since 1937.
   The Guard takes twenty one steps during his walk across the Tomb. It
alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any
military or foreign dignitary. The Guard does not execute an about face. He
stops on the twenty first step, then turns and faces the Tomb for twenty one
seconds, he then turns to face back down the mat, changes his weapon to the
outside shoulder, counts twenty one seconds, then another twenty one step
walk down the mat.
The Guard's gloves are moistened to improve his grip on the
rifle.
The Guard is changed every thirty minutes during the summer and every
two during the winter and also when the cemetery is closed.
 The sad thing as we waited for the Changing of the Guard; an
announcer had to remind the gathered crowd to be upstanding, be silent and turn
off mobile phones. During the change a mobile went off and a young lady giggled
as she told us all "It's mine". Bear took this picture of a girl actually doing some revision.
 I know this is no Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and
should not be compared - however - I thought it strange that as the sergeant and
soldier appeared at the far end, the first thing was a gun inspection, surely
you don't leave the barracks with a dodgy weapon. I know it's just for the
ceremonial purpose but it still looked odd. Plus the fact the sergeant (who
turned his back on the Tomb) looked about twelve and the soldier about nine and
DON'T get me started about the wearing of 'shades'.
 Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheatre: The Tomb of the Unknowns is part of the Arlington Memorial Amphitheatre which has hosted state funerals, Memorial
Day and Veterans
Day ceremonies, also Easter. About 5,000 people attend these holiday ceremonies each year. The
structure is mostly built of Imperial Danby marble from Vermont. The Memorial Display room, between the amphitheatre and the Tomb of
the Unknowns, uses Botticino stone, imported from Italy. The amphitheatre was the result of a campaign by Ivory
Kimball to construct a place to honour American soldiers. Congress
authorised the structure on the 4th of March 1913. Woodrow
Wilson laid the cornerstone for the building on the 15th
of October 1915. The cornerstone contains fifteen items including a
Bible and a copy of the Constitution. Again very sad was the spectacle of an unshaved man in a vest split down both sides; gagging to get to puff on a cigarette whilst waiting for the bus, having raced through the amphitheatre, as he moved he showed way too much flesh and nipple.
The Memorial Display room
Before the Amphitheatre was completed in 1921, important ceremonies were held at what is now known as the "Old Amphitheatre." This structure sits where Robert E. Lee once had his gardens. The amphitheatre was built in 1868 under the direction of General John A. Logan. Gen. James A. Garfield was the featured speaker at the Decoration Day dedication ceremony on the 30th of May 1868. The amphitheater has an encircling colonnade with a latticed roof that once supported a web of vines. The amphitheater has a marble dais, known as "the rostrum", which is inscribed with the U.S. national motto found on the Great Seal of the United States, E pluribus unum ("Out of many, one"). The amphitheatre seats 1,500 people and has hosted speakers such as William Jennings Bryan.
The Old Amphitheatre
ALL IN ALL WE WERE DELIGHTED TO HAVE VISITED THIS SPECIAL PLACE |
