Tomb of the Unknown

[Spartacus]

How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknown Soldier?
and why?

 

[sixxtoes]

21 steps for 21 gun salute

 

[Spartacus]

How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his
return walk and why?

 

[sixxtoes]

same reason 21 secs

 

[Spartacus]

Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

 

[BlueBird]

Google is no friend of dialup.

 

[sixxtoes]

its crazy what these guys go through to have such and honor to guard the tomb. i think they do it for a 2 year period

 

[Spartacus]

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 thier 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.

 

[pdaddyII]

Fucking waste of time if you ask me.

 

[Spartacus]

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.

Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.