Thank You to Those Who Serve

Thank you to all of those who have served our country,

and the families that stand by and support the men and women in uniform.

Questions that no one could answer on Jeopardy:

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.

How long does he hesitate and why?
21 seconds for the same reason.

Why are his gloves wet?

His gloves are moistened to prevent him from losing his grip on his rifle.

Does he carry his gun on the same shoulder?
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.

How often are the guards changed?
The guards change every thirty minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,  365 days a year.

What are the physical traits of the guards?
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. 

There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.  Every guard spends five hours getting his uniform ready.

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 and where they are laid in Arlington National Cemetery.