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Tuesday, November 26, 2024 |
Veteran's Day 2004 (Serious, Not Humor)   
Date: Sent Thursday, November 11, 2004
Category: None | Rating: 3.61/5 (61 votes)
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Each year for Veteran's Day Tom Ellsworth of the Good Clean Fun mailing list has a great tribute to veterans. I personally appreciate his pause to
bring our attention to the men and women that fought to make America the great country it is.
The following is from Tom's mailing list. If you are also a member of his mailing list, I appoligise for the repeat. If you are not, his list is one
of the few that GCFL recommends, so feel free to join it. His web page is here: http://www.slonet.org/~tellswor/
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Good Clean Fun List Members,
There are a small handful of times during the year when I switch to a serious topic. Veteran's Day is one of those occasions that is very important to
me. In the United States, Veteran's Day is this Thursday, November 11th (this is also Remembrance Day in Canada). In the early 1970's, Veteran's Day
became a "movable" holiday -- the fourth Monday of October. In 1978, at the urging of veteran's groups who realized the sanctity of the date, Congress
returned Veteran's Day to November 11th. Please remember that this day is not to honor war, but rather to honor the sacrifice made by others for our
freedom.
What we call Veteran's Day is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice in the Forest of Campiegne by the Allies and the Germans in 1918 (the
11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). This signified the end of World War I and was originally known as Armistice Day. President Woodrow
Wilson signed the Congressional Resolution on Nov. 11, 1919, the first Armistice Day.
However, after World War II, the day began to lose meaning and since there were many other veterans to consider, the decision was made to change
November 11th to honor all those who fought in American wars. The United States Congress passed an act to change the name to Veteran's Day and in 1954
President Dwight Eisenhower signed the act.
With that in mind, I would like to say "thank you" to all the men and women with whom I served, and to especially remember those who aren't with us
anymore. As a former Hospital Corpsman, I wish a heartfelt "Semper Fi" to all my Marine friends.
- Tom Ellsworth
(HM2 USN 1965-69)
(Note: Last year, my Veteran's day piece included "What is a Veteran?" That can still be found in the GCF Archives at this address:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Farm/7478/vets-day.htm
This year I thought that I'd do something slightly different. There is an email floating around the Internet about the duties and obligations of the
honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns (Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia). The sentiments of the piece are good, but it does contain some
errors.
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First, just a tiny bit of history ... The Tomb of the Unknowns holds three sets of remains, one each from World War I, World War II, and the Korean
War. A fourth set of remains from the Vietnam War was formally disinterred in 1998 after DNA testing determined them to belong to First Lieutenant
Michael Joseph Blassie. Lt. Blassie is now buried in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. The tomb is guarded 24 hours a day and 365 days a year by
specially chosen soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Regiment (Old Guard) stationed at nearby Fort Myer.
Now, to the email:
1. 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.)
This is true.
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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 #1.)
This is somewhat true but incomplete. The guard does not execute an about-face, and there is more involved in the procedure:
(a) The sentinel marches 21 steps across the black mat, past the final resting places of the Unknown Soldiers of World War I, World War II, Korea, and
the crypt of the Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War.
(b) With a crisp turn, the sentinel turns 90 degrees (not about-face) to face east for 21 seconds.
(c) The sentinel then turns a sharp 90 degrees again to face north for 21 seconds. A crisp "shoulder-arms" movement places the rifle on the shoulder
nearest the visitors to signify that the sentinel stands between the tomb and any threat.
(d) The sentinel then paces 21 steps north, turns and repeats the process.
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3. Why are his gloves wet?
(His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.)
This is true.
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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.)
As noted in #2 above, the guard shifts his rifle prior to each 21-step walk to ensure that it is always carried on his outside shoulder, the one away
from the Tomb ("to signify that the sentinel stands between the tomb and any threat").
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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.
This is basically true. From 1926 through 1937, the Tomb was guarded only during daylight hours. Ever since 1937, the Tomb has been continuously
guarded 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Tomb guards are changed every thirty minutes between 8 AM and 7 PM during the period from early Spring
to early Autumn (April 1 through September 30), and every hour between 8 AM to 5 PM the rest of the year. At all other times (i.e., while the cemetery
is closed), the guard is changed every two hours.
This seems like an appropriate spot to mention another email about the sentries at the Tomb of the Unknowns. This one deals with Hurricane Isabel and
claims that during Hurricane Isabel, sentries guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns remained at their posts.
This is true. When Hurricane Isabel hit on 19 September 2003, sentries charged with guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns did indeed spend the entire
night out in the weather rather than leave their posts. It is untrue, however, that they disobeyed a direct order to do so, as some e-mail versions of
this story maintain.
There is a contingency plan that if winds reached 120 mph the guards could retreat from their usual exposed-to-the-elements posts in the tomb plaza to
take up positions in the trophy room, which is above the tomb plaza and has a clear view of the sepulcher. This plan was not put into effect.
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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".)
This is true. Each soldier must be in superb physical condition, possess an unblemished military record and be between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet, 4
inches tall, with a proportionate weight and build.
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7. 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.
Not quite true. Sentinels at the Tomb do not have to commit to serving there for any fixed period of time, and the average tour of duty is only about
half the two year period claimed in the email. Like most servicemen, Tomb guards may live either on-base (at nearby Fort Myer) or off-base in housing
of their choosing. There are no restrictions on guards' off-duty drinking.
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8. 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 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.
Parts are true and parts are not. The Tomb Guard Identification Badge, first awarded in 1957, is a honor for which a guard qualifies by "flawlessly
performing his duty for several months" and passing a test, not something simply handed out to everyone who serves for a given period of time: Once
the sentinel has completed his or her training, he or she is examined formally for proficiency in performing the duties and in knowledge of Alington
National Cemetery. He or she must first pass a written examination of 100 questions about the cemetery and then be evaluated on proficiency in keeping
watch at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Upon successful completion, the soldier is awarded a temporary Tomb Guard's Badge at a ceremony presided over by the company commander. The Badge is
one of the Army's higher honors and can be taken away from the soldier if he or she does not continue to maintain the highest military standards.
The 500th Tomb Guard Identification Badge was awarded in early 2002, and the total number of recipients is now about 525. The award is, as its name
states, a badge worn on the pocket of a uniform jacket, not a pin worn in the lapel.
Although the claim that guards "cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives" is fallacious, there is some truth to the notion that the Tomb
Guard Identification Badge can be taken away, even after the recipient has left the service. According to Old Guard Public Affairs: "The Tomb Guard
Identification Badge is one of the least awarded badges in the Army, second only to the Astronaut Badge. Since the sentinels are held to such a high
standard, if they ever do anything that is deemed behavior unbecoming a Tomb Guard or brings dishonor upon the Tomb, their badges may be revoked, even
after [the sentinels] have left active duty military service."
As of early 2002, there had been nine revocations of the Tomb Guard Identification Badge.
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9. 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.
Somewhat true. 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. If he does this correctly, his hat and bayonet will appear to not "bob"
up and down with each step. It gives him a more 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.
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10. 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. Every guard spends five hours a day getting his
uniforms ready for guard duty.
Again, some truth, some non-truth. A Tomb guard's behavior is not so stringently regulated that he is prohibited from speaking to anyone for a full
six months (someone seems to have confused the Old Guard with a monastery!), and guards may do whatever they want (including watching TV) during their
off-duty hours. But since any soldier wishing to become a sentinel must undergo rigorous training, including several hours a day of marching, rifle
drill and uniform preparation, and every tomb sentinel is expected to be completely versed in the history of both the tomb and of Arlington National
Cemetery (including knowing how to find the graves of all the prominent person buried in the cemetery), they don't necessarily have a lot of free time
to devote to recreational activities.
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My source for this is the Snopes.Com Urban Legend website. http://www.snopes.com/military/unknown.asp
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As a final thought on my part, let me share a favorite prayer:
"Lord keep our servicemen and women safe, whether they serve at home or overseas. Hold them in your loving hands and protect them as they protect
us."
Let's all keep those currently serving and those who have gone before, in our thoughts. They are the reason for the many freedoms we enjoy.
Received from Thomas S. Ellsworth.
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