Reading the following interesting and moving account brings to my mind one
wish. But I hasten to say that my wish in no way detracts from the
lives of those Americans buried at Arlington. They deserve the
respect for the lives they lived.
But my wish is that somehow we might pay the same respect to our
living Americans. As I look about me, seeing the disrespect being
given some Citizens, the poverty we are allowing to grow, the
fragmenting of our different People and different Faiths and different
political beliefs. Rather than Uniting us, we are allowing our
disrespect for one another to tear us apart. Is there anyway of
finding some Special Guards to march in front of a monument for the
Living? Protecting our Human Rights? Respecting our lives and the
lives of our children? How can we respect our dead when we cannot
respect our living?
Carl Jarvis
******
All of you who receive this have the "option" of forwarding this. Some
of us do not consider it an "option" but consider it an "honor" to
share this information
by forwarding this email every time we receive it. We're proud of our
men and women who have served, who do serve, and who will serve no
matter where they
may be!
God Bless and keep them!
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.
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 service person. The tomb has been patrolled
continuously, 24/7, since 1930.
God
Bless and keep them.
I'd be very proud if this email
reached as many as possible. We can be very
proud of our men and women
in the service no matter where they serve.
GOD BLESS AMERICA
THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE WHO KEEP IT THAT WAY!
No comments:
Post a Comment