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Guarding Heroes

Stacy Rausch | Production Coordinator

Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Carney (left) walks past Army Spc. Andrew Selga during a changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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Army Staff Sgt. Robbie Petry (left) has his rifle inspected by Army Staff. Sgt. Christopher Carney during a changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Visitors watch from behind chains that comprise the area that is guarded by the sentinels.

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Army Spc. Andrew Selga clicks his heels together as he turns to look at the tomb during a changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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Visitors watch tomb guards perform a changing of the guard ceremony. The Tomb of the Unknowns is comprised of the large monument honoring an unknown soldier from World War I, and the crypts in front of it hold the remains of the unknowns from Korea (from left), Vietnam and World War II.

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Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Carney (left) and Army Spc. Andrew Selga perform a wreath-laying ceremony with students from the Student Leadership University. Guards can perform up to 19 wreath-laying ceremonies a day.

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The green military-issue scabbard on the left is in standard-issue condition, and on the right is a highly polished and painted scabbard. This transformation can take tomb guards upwards of 200 hours to complete to their high standards.

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Army Spc. Steven Carr holds a wooden plaque belonging to Spc. Jacob Davenport that shows he has completed 612 walks on the mat during a changing of the guard ceremony.

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A tomb guard’s uniform accessories rest on a shelf in the tomb guard quarters at Arlington National Cemetery.

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Army Staff Sgt. Robbie Petry shines his shoes in tomb guard quarters at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.

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A wall of historic photos of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the guards who stand watch over it hangs in the tomb guard quarters.

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Army Spc. Steven Carr points out the plaque with his name on the permanent badge-holder wall located in the tomb guard quarters. He is one of 624 soldiers to hold a badge. This badge can be revoked if a soldier’s actions are dishonorable at any time in his or her military career or during retirement.

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Army Spc. Steven Carr holds badge number 614 on the permanent badge holder wall in the tomb guard quarters.

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Army Sgt. Curtis Sandifer exits the tomb guard quarter for his shift of the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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A metal plaque is mounted to the door of the tomb guard quarters located beneath the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery.

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A mannequin wearing the required Army dress uniform of the tomb guards is seen in a display cabinet outside the tomb guard quarters. The 99-word “Sentinel’s Creed,” that tomb guards memorize and live by, is on the wall next to the display.

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Sentinels start a changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery July 17.

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Army Spc. Jacob Davenport (from left), Army Spc. Andrew Selga, and Army Sgt. Curtis Sandifer perform a changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in Arlington.

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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier guards (from left) Army Sgt. Curtis Sandifer, Army Spc. Andrew Selga and Army Spc. Jacob Davenport perform a changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery July 17.

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Army Spc. Andrew Selga ‘walks the mat’ in full Army dress uniform, complete with rifle and fixed bayonet, during a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier changing of the guard ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony July 17 in Arlington.

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Army Sgt. Curtis Sandifer walks in the chained off area of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that is his duty to guard. Visitors to the tomb watch and take photographs in the background.

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A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier guard wears black shoes, hand-polished to a high shine and outfitted with metal “cheaters” on the toes and heels. The “cheaters” make a sharp click sound as the soldier brings his heels together to turns and face the tomb during the changing of the guard ceremony.

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A wreath stands in front of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. It is comprised of the large monument at the rear honoring an unknown soldier from World War I, and the crypts in front of it hold the remains of the unknowns from Korea (from left), Vietnam and World War II.

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Army Spc. Andrew Selga dresses meticulously for a shift of the changing of the guard in tomb guard quarters at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The uniforms that tomb guards wear are highly altered from their military-issue state for this dress blue ceremony uniform.

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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

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