Thursday, April 8, 2010

Arlington National Cemetery

They shall grow not old
As we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will remember them!
-- Lawrence Binyon

My sister, Susan, who works at the U.S. Army post Fort Myer, which is connected to Arlington Cemetery, arranged for a personal, “behind-the-scenes” tour of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers with the Sergeant of the Guard, who is the head man and a former Tomb Guard. Participating on the tour was me; my mom; my other sister, Jackie; and my niece, Madison; as well as Susan and 10 young people from her church who are going through Confirmation class.

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Chapel right outside the Ft. Myer gate of Arlington Cemetery

We all parked at the far gated entrance to Arlington Cemetery located on Fort Myer. We walked along the internal paths of the Cemetery to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Along the way, we passed thousands of small white tombstones lined up in nice, neat rows, each tombstone a grave containing the remains of a member of the armed forces who has passed away.

Flag covered casket getting ready to be pulled by horses for burial in Arlington National Cemetery

Tourists at the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater. Millions of tourists visit Arlington

National Cemetery each year. The high season was just beginning

during my visit. There were thousands of tourists at the Amphitheater,

where The Tomb of the Unknowns is located.

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Once we arrived at the Tomb of the Unknowns, we observed the Changing of the Guards, which occurs every 30 minutes. There were thousands of tourists gathered around to experience this solemn ceremony, and not a sound was heard from the massive crowd. It was a very moving experience.

The Tomb of the Unknowns, near the center of the cemetery, is one of Arlington's most popular tourist sites. The Tomb contains the remains of unknown American soldiers from World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict and (until 1988) the Vietnam War. Each was presented with the Medal of Honor at the time of interment, and the medals, as well as the flags which covered their caskets, are on display inside the Memorial Amphitheater, directly to the rear of the Tomb. The Tomb is guarded 24-hours-per-day, 365-days-per year by specially trained members of the 3rd United States Infantry (The Old Guard).

As I mentioned, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier contains the remains of one soldier each from World War I, World War II and the Korean Conflict. There was a soldier from the Vietnam War, but his remains were identified in 1984 as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, who was shot down near An Loc, Vietnam, in 1972. His family requested his remains be exhumed so that they could bury him in his hometown, and in 1988 Blassie was disinterred. It was decided that his tomb would remain vacant. Since the Vietnam War, there have been no and there will be no more unknown soldiers because all military personnel are now DNA tested and can be identified if killed.

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The "Old Guard," one of the oldest and most respected Infantry Regiments in the United States Army, has the awesome responsibility of both guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as escorting deceased Army service members to their final rest in the "Gardens of Stone," as Arlington is sometimes called. The "Old Guard" also serves as the Army's ceremonial unit and, as an active and well-trained Infantry Regiment, is responsible for the protection of Washington, D.C.

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As told to us by the Sergeant of the Guard, Tomb Honor Guards are handpicked from the Old Guard after at least 6 months of service. To be a Tomb Guard, a candidate must have no military or civilian convictions, he must be between 5’11” and 6’4”, he must have a 30” waist, he must present a soldierly appearance in the Army Blue Uniform, and he must score a minimum of 250 on the Army physical fitness test. If a soldier makes it past these requirements, he is then accepted into the training program. (By the way, Tomb Guards can be either male or female, though most have been male.)


The training is extremely intense and rigorous. Each soldier must have strong military bearing, discipline, stamina and present an outstanding soldierly appearance. Each Sentinel must be able to flawlessly perform seven different types of walks, honors and ceremonies. He must retain vast amounts of knowledge concerning the Tomb, Arlington National Cemetery, the United States Army and their unit. The duty is not for everyone, and 80% of the soldiers who start the program do not make it.
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A soldier who is undergoing training to become a Tomb Guard is called a “mole,” because he does not see the light of day for several months. New trainees spend months learning everything about the history of Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb and its guards, as well as the US Army. He (or she – there have been several female Tomb Guards) then has to memorize information about over 150 graves, 12 poems and various other information. Finally, he must be able to state the 99-word “Sentinel’s Creed.” (When our guide, the Sergeant of the Guard, repeated the Sentinel’s Creed to us in the Sentinel’s Room, he actually had tears in his eyes.)

A Sentinel waiting for his 30-minute shift to begin.

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The Sentinel – the actual soldier who stands guard over the tomb – has the most difficult job. A Sentinel is “on” for 24 hours, and then “off” for 24 hours. When “on,” he guards the tomb for 30 minutes until he is relieved by the next guard. Since there are usually 4 or 5 guards “on” during any 24-hour period, each Sentinel marches every 2 to 2½ hours. His routine must be perfect, and everything is done in 21’s: he walks 21 steps in front of the tomb, he then pauses for 21 seconds, he then turns and walks back 21 steps, pauses for 21 seconds, etc. His march (feet and leg position), arms, hands, facial expression (i.e., lack thereof) must be perfect. He is not allowed to flinch, cough or even sneeze. (Obviously, he must have the utmost discipline over his body.) If he “messes” up even once, he is relieved of his duty. Likewise, the Sentinel’s uniform must be absolutely perfect. Insignia and patches must be precisely placed on the uniform to 1/64 of an inch. Creases must be crisp. The belt around the waist of the blouse is exactly 30 inches. Each Sentinel wears the exact same sunglasses.

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The Sentinel's Creed
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My dedication to this sacred duty

is total and whole-hearted.

In the responsibility bestowed on me

never will I falter.

And with dignity and perseverance

my standard will remain perfection.

Through the years of diligence and praise

and the discomfort of the elements,

I will walk my tour in humble reverence

to the best of my ability.

It is he who commands the respect I protect,

his bravery that made us so proud.

Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day,

alone in the thoughtful peace of night,

this soldier will in honored glory rest

under my eternal vigilance.

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A groundskeeper pressure washing the tombstones.

Incredible respect is paid to these fallen soldiers.

After our visit to The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we were supposed to have a tour of the stables and horses used during funerals at Arlington Cemetery and then lunch at the Officers’ Club, but my mom tripped and fell during our tour of the Tomb of the Unknowns. She ended up with a ginormous hematoma on her arm, and me and my sister Jackie had to take her to the Ft. Myer emergency room (which was really just a post clinic) to have it checked out. Ninety minutes later we were finished, but we missed the tour of the horses and the Officers’ Club had already closed, so we ended up eating subs from Subway in the car on the way home. Not the best way to end the day, but at least we didn’t get stuck in any rush-hour traffic.

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