Today marks Veterans Day. A day that honors the 24.9 million military veterans in the United States. World War I ended on 1918, in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when a stop to hostilities was declared. An armistice to cease the fighting on the Western Front was signed by the Allied powers and Germany.
Initially president Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day "Armistice Day," commencing on November 11th, but over the years as veterans returned from World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day — a day reserved to honor veterans returning from all wars. The date of 11/11 represented the end of the Great War and the date stuck.
In 1921, unidentified dead from the war were buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., Westminster Abbey in London, and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The tradition to honor those killed in the war but never identified continues every year in the U.S. The ceremony is held at 11 a.m. at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Red poppies, a symbol of World War I (from their appearance in the poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae) are sold in Canada and the United Kingdom on Remembrance Day to raise money for veterans or worn in the lapel as a tribute.
The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldiers
The guards at the tomb of the unknown soldiers are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year honoring all of those who have fallen and have never been found or identified.
It is extremely difficult for families who never know what happened to their loved ones and they are unable to begin the healing process. Since the dead soldiers can't be identified, the guards honor their service, and their families by keeping a vigil at the tomb. A soldier was removed from the tomb a few years ago after DNA identified him.
The Duty
The guards are the very best of the Army’s best. They take 21 steps during the walk across the tomb of the unknowns. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.
He stops on the 21st step, then turns and faces the Tomb for 21 seconds. He turns to face back down the mat, changes his weapon to the outside shoulder, counts 21, then steps off for another 21 step walk down the mat. He faces the Tomb at each end of the 21 step walk for 21 seconds. He repeats this over and over until he is relieved at the Guard Change.
Whether under a blazing sun, unsheltered from driving rains, or in freezing snow, they perform their duty with great precision and military bearing.
Each soldier among them is physically fit for the demanding responsibility and between 5'10" and 6'4" tall with a proportionate weight and build.
Each of them is a volunteer from the 3rd Infantry, eligible to apply for duty as a sentinel ONLY after they have already been ceremonially qualified in The Old Guard.
Acceptance in The Old Guard's Company E does not assure a volunteer that he will become one of the fewer than 550 soldiers in the last 45 years to earn the distinctive Tomb Guard Badge.
Before any soldier is allowed "a walk", he must memorize seven pages of history on Arlington National Cemetery and then recite it verbatim. If a soldier finishes this phase and is granted "a walk", he enters a new phase of training known as "new-soldier training". In addition to extensive training in the manual of arms, the guard change ceremony, and the intricacies of military ritual, the new-soldier is required to memorize additional information on Arlington, including the grave locations of nearly 300 veterans.
It may take months for a soldier to earn the right to TEST to wear the coveted silver Tomb Guard Identification badge. Only after the sentinel has served at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for nine months does the award become permanent. One of the Army's rarest emblems, it features the inverted laurel and a replica of the East face of the tomb where Greek images represent the virtues of Victory, Valor, and Peace. Less than 550 have been awarded since its creation in the late 1950's. The Badge is a full size award, worn on the right pocket of the uniform jacket, not a lapel pin.
Their gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.
The shoes are standard issue military dress shoes. They are built up so the sole and heel are equal in height. This allows the Sentinel to stand so that his back is straight and perpendicular to the ground. A side effect of this is that the Sentinel can "roll" on the outside of the build up as he walks down the mat. This allows him to move in a fluid fashion. It gives him a formal and smooth look to his walk, rather than a "marching" appearance.
The soles have a steel tip on the toe and a "horseshoe" steel plate on the heel. This prevents wear on the sole and allows the Sentinel to move smoothly during his movements when he turns to face the Tomb and then back down the mat.
Then there is the "clicker". It is a shank of steel attached to the inside of the face of the heel build-up on each shoe. It allows the Sentinel to click his heels during certain movements. If a guard change is really hot, it is called a "smoker" because all the heel clicks fall together and sound like one click. In fact, the guard change is occasionally done in the "silent" mode (as a sign of devotion to the Unknowns"). No voice commands - every thing is done in relation to the heel clicks and on specific counts.
He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb.
The Guard is changed every thirty minutes during the summer (April 1st to September 30th) and every hour during the winter (October 1st to March 31st).
During the hours the cemetery is closed, the guard is changed every 2 hours.
There has been a Sentinel on duty in front of the Tomb every minute of every day since 1937. And the Sentinel does not change the way he guards the Tomb, even at night when there is no one around.
May we have a moment of silence for all of the soldiers.
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