Chuckwagon Adventure: Arlington National Cemetery

We made the trek into Washington DC to see Arlington Cemetery on Memorial Day weekend. When my eye scans the sheer number of tombstones it causes a reverential hush to cloak my soul. This hallowed ground is a visual lesson in courage, commitment and sacrifice, and the impact is heavy.

Hand-placed miniature American flags are anchored at the base of each headstone. Row after row of thousands of perfectly aligned gravestones go on as far as the eye can see in all directions.

We made our way by shuttle with a guide respectfully drawing our attention to certain areas where memorable US citizens lay in their final resting places.

We left the shuttle and walked to the Tomb of the Unknowns and looked with sad eyes at the monument commemorating the WWI soldier that was buried here, identity unknown. The inscription on the tomb reads:

HERE RESTS IN

HONORED GLORY

AN AMERICAN

SOLDIER

KNOWN BUT TO GOD

"West of this grave are the crypts of Unknowns from World War II (south) and Korea (north). Between the two lies a crypt that once contained an Unknown from Vietnam (middle). His remains were positively identified in 1998 through DNA testing as First Lieutenant Michael Blassie, United States Air Force and were removed. Those three graves are marked with white marble slabs flush with the plaza."

They are somebody’s son, brother, or husband to be sure, but their names and histories are a mystery known only by God.

Our eyes fall on the soldier guarding it.

"Since April 6, 1948 the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, regardless of weather. Millions of Americans annually visit the Memorial Amphitheater to watch these dedicated soldiers of a new generation, dutifully pace 21 steps across a black mat on the west face of the Tomb. It is a time honored ritual, executed with great precision and filled with American pride.

The sentinel marches 21 steps across the black mat, past the final resting places of the Unknown Soldiers of World War I, World War II, Korea, and the crypt of the Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War.
With a crisp turn, the sentinel turns 90 degrees to face east for 21 seconds.
The sentinel then turns a sharp 90 degrees again to face north for 21 seconds. A crisp "shoulder-arms" movement places the rifle on the shoulder nearest the visitors to signify that the sentinel stands between the tomb and any threat.
After the moment, the sentinel paces 21 steps north, turns and repeats the process.

The practiced cadence is timed so that the sentinel paces at a rate of 90 steps each minute.

Appropriately, the men who march 21 steps south, turn and march 21 steps north, and then repeat the process minute-by-minute for up to an hour at a time day or night, are the very best of the Army's best. Whether under a blazing sun, unsheltered from driving rains, or in freezing snow, they perform their duty with great precision and military bearing. Each of them is a volunteer from the 3rd Infantry, eligible to apply for duty as a sentinel ONLY after they have already been ceremonially qualified in The Old Guard. Each soldier among them is physically fit for the demanding responsibility and between 5'10" and 6'4" tall with a proportionate weight and build.

Acceptance in The Old Guard's Company E does not assure a volunteer that he will become one of the fewer than 400 soldiers in the last 45 years to earn the distinctive Tomb Guard Badge. Before any soldier is allowed "a walk," he must memorize seven pages of history on Arlington National Cemetery and then recite it verbatim. If a soldier finishes this phase and is granted "a walk," he enters a new phase of training known as "new-soldier training." In addition to extensive training in the manual of arms, the guard change ceremony, and the intricacies of military ritual, the new-soldier is required to memorize additional information on Arlington, including the grave locations of nearly 300 veterans.

It may take months for a soldier to earn the right to TEST to wear the coveted silver Tomb Guard Identification badge, and even then, the award is temporary. Only after the sentinel has served at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for nine months does the award become permanent. One of the Army's rarest emblems, it features the inverted laurel and a replica of the East face of the tomb where Greek images represent the virtues of Victory, Valor, and Peace.

Each "walk" is a shift of one-half hour during daylight hours in the summer, one hour during daylight hours in the winter, and all night shifts are one-hour walks. Each walk concludes with the ceremonial Changing of the Guards...even when no audience is present."[i]

Members of Rolling Thunder. Rolling Thunder members are old and young, men and women, veterans and non-veterans. All are united in the cause to bring full accountability for Prisoners Of War (POW) and Missing In Action (MIA) of all wars, reminding the government, the media and the public by our watchwords: “We Will Not Forget.”