Flag Day 2005: The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier

I have posted about the Tomb before in this October 14, 2004, post, and repeated the same information here again today in honor of Flag Day and my late mother's birthday. I later learned, however, from friend and reader Matthew Peek of Lone Tree on The Prairie, that my original post (picked up from an e-mail) contained a mixture of truth and myth. All of that is sorted out at Snopes.com. (Thanks, Matthew, for the object lesson on the blogosphere's ability to self-correct.)

So, for the real story on the Tomb of the Unknowns, go to the Arlington National Cemetery site here, or to this site. There is plenty of good reliable information on both sites that Americans should know and remember.

The Arlington site begins thus:

The Sentinels of the Tomb of the Unknowns

The Tomb of the Unknowns (also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and in any weather by Tomb Guard sentinels. Sentinels, all volunteers, are considered to be the best of the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), headquartered at Fort Myer, Va.

After members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry become ceremonially qualified, they are eligible to volunteer for duty as sentinels at the Tomb. If accepted, they are assigned to Company E of The Old Guard. Each soldier must be in superb physical condition, possess an unblemished military record and be between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet, 4 inches tall, with a proportionate weight and build. An interview and a two-week trial to determine a volunteer's capability to train as a tomb guard is required.

The entire page is well worth reading.

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God Bless and keep them.