Today instead of my usual post, I am going to talk about Veterans Day. This afternoon we went to a movie in the clubhouse called Honor Flight. We had two WWII vets at the movie with us.
A radio station in Wisconsin started a movement to take as many WWII veterans to see the memorials in Washington DC as possible. They also interviewed 4 of the vets, including one, who when he was released from a German prison, weighed only 70 pounds. They said he was only days from death. He recovered and was one of the vets on the flight. He made the statement “Every Day is a Bonus”, which became a watchword for the organization. The flight got big enough that at first there was one 747 going, but grew to three 747s finally making the flight. The flight wasn't so much to let them see the memorials, as it was to honor the vets.
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| The man to his left died the next day. |
The flight took place in 2012. The Youngest of the vets interviewed was 89. One of the four died within months of making the trip. The movie was very moving.
We also got to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. Cindy got to place a wreath on the Tomb when she was a girl scout living in Quantico. I looked up some interesting facts about the guards, which follows:
Posted on Wednesday,
April 28, 2004 6:20:41 PM by SandRat
TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN
SOLDIER
Interesting facts about
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Sentinels of the Third United States
Infantry Regiment "Old Guard"
Q: How many steps does
the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?
A: 21 steps. It alludes
to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or
foreign dignitary.
Q: How long does he
hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?
A: 21 seconds, for the
same reason as answer number 1.
Q: Why are his gloves
wet?
A: His gloves are
moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.
Q: Does he carry his
rifle on the same shoulder all the time, and if not, why not?
A: No, 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.
Q: How often are the
guards changed?
A: Guards are changed
every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.
Q: What are the physical
traits of the guard limited to?
A: 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 {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.
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. A
guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the
notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor
winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame.
Every guard spends FIVE HOURS A DAY getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.
The Sentinels Creed:
My dedication to this
sacred duty is total and wholehearted. 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.
More Interesting facts
about the Tomb of the Unknowns itself:
The marble for the Tomb
of the Unknowns was furnished by the Vermont Marble Company of Danby, Vt. The
marble is the finest and whitest of American marble, quarried from the Yule
Marble Quarry located near Marble, Colorado and is called Yule Marble. The
Marble for the Lincoln memorial and other famous buildings was also quarried
there.
The Tomb consists of
seven pieces of rectangular marble: Four pieces in sub base; weight Â- 15 tons;
One piece in base or
plinth; weight Â- 16 tons;
One piece in die; weight
Â- 36 tons;
One piece in cap; weight
Â- 12 tons;
Carved on the East side
(the front of the Tomb, which faces Washington, D.C.) is a composite of three
figures, commemorative of the spirit of the Allies of World War I.
In the center of the
panel stands Victory (female).
On the right side, a
male figure symbolizes Valor.
On the left side stands
Peace, with her palm branch to reward the devotion and sacrifice that went with
courage to make the cause of righteousness triumphant.
The north and south
sides are divided into three panels by Doric pilasters. In each panel is an
inverted wreath.
On the west, or rear,
panel (facing the Amphitheater) is inscribed:
HERE RESTS IN HONORED
GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD
The first Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier was a sub base and a base or plinth. It was slightly smaller
than the present base. This was torn away when the present Tomb was started
Aug. 27, 1931. The Tomb was completed and the area opened to the public 9:15
a.m. April 9, 1932, without any ceremony.
Cost of the Tomb:
$48,000
Sculptor: Thomas Hudson
Jones
Architect: Lorimer Rich
Contractors: Hagerman
& Harris, New York City
Inscription: Author
Unknown
(Interesting Commentary)
The Third Infantry
Regiment at Fort Myer has the responsibility for providing ceremonial units and
honor guards for state occasions, White House social functions, public
celebrations and interments at Arlington National Cemetery and standing a very
formal sentry watch at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The public is familiar
with the precision of what is called "walking post" at the Tomb.
There are roped off galleries where visitors can form to observe the troopers
and their measured step and almost mechanically, silent rifle shoulder changes.
They are relieved every hour in a very formal drill that has to be seen to be
believed.
Some people think that
when the Cemetery is closed to the public in the evening that this show stops.
First, to the men who are dedicated to this work, it is no show. It is a
"charge of honor." The formality and precision continues
uninterrupted all night. During the nighttime, the drill of relief and the
measured step of the on-duty sentry remain unchanged from the daylight hours.
To these men, these special men, the continuity of this post is the key to the
honor and respect shown to these honored dead, symbolic of all unaccounted for
American combat dead. The steady rhythmic step in rain, sleet, snow, hail, heat
and cold must be uninterrupted. Uninterrupted is the important part of the
honor shown.
Recently, while you were
sleeping, the teeth of hurricane Isabel came through this area and tore hell
out of everything. We had thousands of trees down, power outages, traffic
signals out, roads filled with downed limbs and "gear adrift" debris.
We had flooding and the place looked like it had been the impact area of an
off-shore bombardment.
The Regimental Commander
of the U.S. Third Infantry sent word to the nighttime Sentry Detail to secure
the post and seek shelter from the high winds, to ensure their personal safety.
THEY DISOBEYED THE
ORDER!
During winds that turned
over vehicles and turned debris into projectiles, the measured step continued.
One fellow said "I've got buddies getting shot at in Iraq who would kick
my butt if word got to them that we let them down. I sure as hell have no
intention of spending my Army career being known as the damned idiot who
couldn't stand a little light breeze and shirked his duty." Then he said
something in response to a female reporters question regarding silly
purposeless personal risk... "I wouldn't expect you to understand. It's an
enlisted man's thing." God bless the rascal... In a time in our nation's
history when spin and total b.s. seem to have become the accepted
coin-of-the-realm, there beat hearts - the enlisted hearts we all knew and were
so damn proud to be a part of - that fully understand that devotion to duty is
not a part-time occupation. While we slept, we were represented by some damn
fine men who fully understood their post orders and proudly went about their
assigned responsibilities unseen, unrecognized and in the finest tradition of
the American Enlisted Man. Folks, there's hope. The spirit that George S.
Patton, Arliegh Burke and Jimmy Doolittle left us ... survives.
On the ABC evening news,
it was reported recently that, because of the dangers from Hurricane Isabel
approaching Washington, DC, the military members assigned the duty of guarding
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment.
They refused. "No way, Sir!"
Soaked to the skin,
marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the
Tomb was not just an assignment; it was the highest honor that can be afforded
to a service person. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since
1930.
Very, very proud of our
soldiers in uniform.
“Home of the free,
because of the brave”.
Sorry this is longer
than usual, but we are grateful to all our Vets. Thanks for visiting.
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