The Third Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer’s has the responsibility for
providing ceremonial units and honor guards for state occasions, White House
social functions, public celebrations and interments at Arlington National
Cemetery....and standing a very formal sentry watch at the Tombs of the
Unknowns.
The public is familiar with the precision of what is called "walking post"
at the Tombs. There are roped off galleries where visitors can form to
observe the troopers and their measured step and almost mechanical silent
rifle shoulder changes. They are relieved every hour in a very formal drill
that has to be seen to believe.
Some people think that when the Cemetery is closed to the public in the
evening that this show stops. First, to the men who are dedicated to this
work...it is no show...it is a "charge of honor". The formality and
precision continues uninterrupted all night. During the nighttime, the drill
of relief and the measured step of the on duty sentry remain unchanged from
the daylight hours. To these men...these special men, the continuity of this
post is the Key to the honor and respect shown to these honored dead,
symbolic of all American unaccounted for American combat dead.
The steady rhythmic step in rain, sleet, snow, hail, hot, cold...bitter
cold...uninterrupted...uninterrupted is the important part of the honor
shown. Last night, while you were sleeping, the teeth of hurricane Isabel
came through this area and tore hell out of everything... We have thousands
of trees down...power outages...traffic signals out...roads filled with down
limbs and "gear adrift" debris...We have flooding...and the place looks like
it has been the impact area of an off shore bombardment.
The Regimental Commander of the U.S. Third Infantry sent word to the
nighttime Sentry Detail to secure the post and seek shelter from the high
winds, to ensure their personal safety. THEY DISOBEYED THE ORDER...During
winds that turned over vehicles and turned debris into projectiles...the
measured step continued. One fellow said "I've got buddies getting shot at
in Iraq who would kick my butt if word got to them that we let them
down...I'm sure as hell have no intention of spending my Army career being
known as the idiot who couldn't stand a little light breeze and shirked his
duty." ....Then he said something in response to a female reporters question
regarding silly purposeless personal risk...."I wouldn't expect you to
understand. It's an enlisted man's thing."
God Bless the rascal...In a time in our nation's history when spin and total
bull**** seems to have become the accepted coin-of-the-realm, there beat
hearts...the enlisted hearts we all knew and were so damn proud to be a part
of...that fully understand that devotion to duty is not a part time
occupation. While we slept, we were represented by some damn fine men who
fully understood their post orders and proudly went about their assigned
responsibilities unseen, unrecognized and in the finest tradition of the
American Enlisted Man. Folks, there's hope....The gene that George S.
Patton...Arliegh Burke and Jimmy Doolittle left us...survives.
On the ABC evening news, it was reported tonight that, because of the
dangers from Hurricane Isabel approaching Washington DC, the military
members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were
given permission to suspend the assignment. They refused. "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 service person. The tomb has been patrolled
continuously, 24/7, since 1930.
In addition to this: I saw an interview on Fox News Channel with the
Commander of the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the unknown. He took the
shift when Isabel was unleashing her fury, because he did not want to ask
any of his men to do this - he felt it was his highest honor to be on duty
during that time. Very, very proud of our persons in uniform!!!!!!
Published U.S. Legacies Jan 2004
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