One of the most sacred  and honorable duties an American Soldier can perform is to serve as a Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetary just outside Washington, D.C.
A trip to Washington is not complete without going to the cemetary and watching the Changing of the Guard..
Listed below are some of the duties and responsibilities of a Honor Guard :


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.

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 assignment;

it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson.

The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.  
        I don't usually suggest that many emails be forwarded, but I'd be very proud if this one reached as many as possible. We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service, no matter where they serve.
Whenever you are in our Nation's Capitol, you must take time tovisit the NAtional Cemetary in Arlington.  A trip to Washington is not complete without a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the opportunity to view the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb.
Here is a tribute to these dedicated and distinguished soldiers assigned to this most sacred and noble duty.