Credit: farrelley

I got an email this morning from my brother and was wondering how true it is?  The email was about the Tomb of the Unknowns and a question that came up in Jeopardy on how many steps a guard takes when walking across to the other side of the tomb.  I knew the answer since everything is done in 21’s, 21 steps, 21 seconds… I didn’t know what it took to be a guard though and was wondering how true this question #6 was.

“What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?”

Here was the answer.

For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be  between 5′ 10′ and 6′ 2′ tall and  is 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.

Can anyone validate that all this is true?  I think this is very intresting. Thanks.