Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

(A Lesson in Dedication)

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 the highest honor given to any military or foreign dignitary.

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.

Why are his gloves wet?

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

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.

How often are the guards changed?

Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

What does it take to be a 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 . A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are:

President Taft

Joe Lewis {the boxer}

Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of WWII

Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, '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 as assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.

My Idea of Fun

Broken Glass

This morning I was riding to work in the dark, cold and wet. I was still trying to wake up as I rode down San Tomas Expressway when suddenly I felt something under my wheels and heard some loud crunching. Before I could think, "What in hell is that?", both of my wheels go flat. I
stop and look back to see a sea of broken glass. I have no idea on how I missed it because it was about a 1/4 inch thick and spanned across the shoulder and two lanes. It was absolutely amazing to see the shear size. The only thing that comes to mind is that someone dropped a sliding glass window pane or something like that as they took a right turn onto San Tomas. Anyway, I froze my ass off fixing both flats and I will eventually have to replace both of my tires because the each have about 20 slices from the glass. Hey, at least it wasn't raining.

Loaded for the Winter Months

LGBRC 1 - Mexican Car Wash Worker 0

After a long day in the saddle there were only a few left in the field and only a mile left to go. I was riding at the front and waiting for the decisive move. Then BAM!. Juan Hernandez from Team Classic Car Wash attacked. In an unconventional way he flew up the right hand sidewalk. I kept my tempo and made sure he didn't get to far away. An uphill corner was coming so Juan makes an agressive move to the left hand sidewalk and flyes in front of us. He was 100% committed and almost didn't make it around the sidewalk corner. His legs were obvsiously tired because he was laboring up the hill. I caught him and kept the tempo. Juan bolts across the crosswalk and out of the corner of my eye I see him trucking down the hill on the left hand sidewalk. He looked serious but I didn't panic. I took the left hander onto the finishing straight. Juan held an agressive line on the sidewalk and was moving up. He was obviously serious and had no intention in giving up. The finish was coming so I lit up the sprint and Juan faded fast. What an epic battle.