If men are willing to live up to these standards, can the blood
bought child of God be less willing to live up to the standards of the
Word of God? I have seen the Tomb of the Unknown. I have witnessed
the changing of the guard and been impressed with the dignity, honor
and duty of these men.
May we as soldiers of the Cross be as sharp and dutiful in the service
to the "Captain of our Faith."
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.
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3. Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.
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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.
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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".
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 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.