Twenty-one steps, turn, click, 21-second pause, turn.
Twenty-one steps, turn, click, 21-second pause, turn.
The precise movements and subtle sounds a sentinel makes over
and over during the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery are what make
it so moving.
The synchronicity of the movements – often in mirror
reflection; the sounds the rifles make when they are moved
from one shoulder to the other – always facing away from the
tomb as a gesture against intrusion on their post; and the
metallic sound the “cheaters” on their shoes make as they
click their heels and turn for the 63-foot walk in front of
the tomb all signify a sentinel is on duty.
These practiced moves are a small part of the thousands of
hours of training needed to perform this ceremony 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Service, faith and family are why U.S. Army Spc. Steven Carr
joined the Army in 2012. Carr, fourth-generation military
from an Irish-Catholic family, grew up in nearby Damascus,
Md. He has been assigned to the tomb since September 2012,
and after eight months of rigorous mental and physical
training, he had the honor of joining 623 other sentinels who
wear the tomb badge.
Serving as a sentinel is the “highest honor I can imagine as
a ceremonial duty in the Army, and the highest honor one can
receive,” said Carr. “To guard the unknowns, who represent
all the unknowns who have died, it’s more than myself, it’s
huge.”
The tomb sarcophagus honoring an unknown World War I soldier
was erected in 1921. Sculpted into the panel that faces
Washington are these words, “Here rests in honored glory an
American soldier known but to God.” Crypts of unknown
soldiers from World War II, Korea and Vietnam were added
later.
The tomb has been guarded since 1926 by civilian watchmen and
military guards. Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 3rd U.S.
Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” assumed 24-hour
duty in 1948.
A tomb guard wears the Army dress blue uniform – reminiscent
of the color and style worn by soldiers during the late
1800s. Guards spend hundreds of hours altering the
military-issued uniform for the unique duty of tomb guard.
They can spend upward of 200 hours alone painting, polishing
and sanding the scabbard they wear on their hip, and an
additional 40 to 60 hours shining their shoes to a high
polish. They are the last Army platoon to shine their shoes
by hand.
Line six of the Sentinel’s Creed is: “My standard will remain
perfection.” Every guard memorizes this 99-word creed, and
lives by it.
Guards wear no rank or name on their uniforms so they do not
dishonor those buried without recognition of name or rank and
because “it isn’t about the individual,” Carr said. “You look
the same as the others.”
After nine months of service at the tomb, sentinels are
eligible to wear the tomb identification badge. The badge is
engraved with the words “Honor Guard” at the base, and it is
worn on the right breast pocket. It can be worn for the
remainder of their military career.
Any man or woman in “The Old Guard” can apply for a guard
spot when there are openings. To qualify as a tomb guard, one
has to pass multiple tests including: memorizing more than
300 questions on cemetery history and being able to write out
by hand 17 pages of tomb history verbatim. Carr said the
guards can “get to headstones in the dark by heart” if they
have to.
A guard has to be in good physical shape, have high test
scores, meet a minimum height requirement, be an American
citizen, have a spotless military record and have impeccable
military bearing.
Guards work 26-hour shifts from 4:30 a.m. to 6 a.m., in a
five-day day-on, day-off pattern followed by four days off.
Duty time, when not “walking,” is spent in the tomb guard
quarters below the Memorial Amphitheater, where they study
cemetery history, maintain quarters and help others prepare
for duty.
“Your body doesn’t like it, but you get used to it,” said
Carr. “You catch sleep when you can, drink a lot of coffee
and keep each other awake on shift.”
“Those who fail training are ones who didn’t want to put in
100 percent.”
Carr uses a military-provided daily devotional for prayer to
get him through his duty hours when he isn’t “walking the
mat.” During initial training in the middle of the night he
spent a lot of those hours praying while practicing to
“walk.”
During ceremonies for the public, however, his focus is on
one thing – the mission.
He said during the changing of the guard ceremony you have to
“push everything out of your head and focus on the mission.
You are always going to be looking for the next cue – toes
scraping on the ground, the click of heels, the sound of the
rifles – to retain your focus, help yourself and the other
guards to be better.”
The guard’s mission is twofold – they maintain 24-hour watch
over the tomb, and they perform upwards of 19 wreath-laying
ceremonies a day. Because this mission is so demanding, these
are the battalion’s only orders. Carr said that the thing
that gets him out of bed every morning and keeps him coming
to work and putting in the long hours is simple: “A soldier
is never dead until he is forgotten, and tomb guards never
forget.”
If you
go
The changing of the guard is performed every hour on the hour
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Oct. 1 to March 31, and every half
hour from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April 1 to Sept. 30.
For more information go to arlingtoncemetery.mil.
Read more tidbits of info and fun facts about the tomb and
the guards.
Sentinel’s Creed
Every tomb guard memorizes the following 99-word creed. They
live by these words, and line six of the creed references the
level of care they take with their appearance, “My standard
will remain perfection.”
My dedication to this sacred duty
is total and whole-hearted.
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.
– Simon, 1971