How does the Guard rotation work? Is it an 8 hour shift?
Currently, the Tomb Guards work on a three Relief (team) rotation - 24 hours on, 24 hours off, 24 hours on, 24 hours off, 24 hours on, 96 hours off. However, over the years it has been different. The time off isn't exactly free time. It takes the average Sentinel 8 hours to prep his/her uniform for the next work day. Additionally, they have Physical Training, Tomb Guard training, and haircuts to complete before the next work day.

How many steps does the Guard take during his walk across the Tomb of the Unknowns and why?
21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

How long does the Sentinel hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time, and if not, why not?
He does not execute an about face. He stops on the 21st step, then turns and faces the Tomb for 21 seconds. Then he turns to face back down the mat, changes his weapon to the outside shoulder, counts 21 seconds, then steps off for another 21 step walk down the mat. He faces the Tomb at each end of the 21 step walk for 21 seconds. The Sentinel then repeats this over and over until he is relieved at the Guard Change.

Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to improve his grip on the rifle.

How often are the Guards changed?
The Guard is changed every thirty minutes during the summer (April 1 to Sep 30) and every hour during the winter (Oct 1 to Mar 31). During the hours the cemetery is closed, the guard is changed every 2 hours. The Tomb is guarded, and has been guarded, every minute of every day since 1937.

Is it true 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?
No, this is a false rumor. The average tour at the Tomb is about a year. There is NO set time for service there. The Sentinels live either in a barracks on Ft. Myer (the Army post located adjacent to the cemetery) or off base if they like. They do have living quarters under the steps of the amphitheater where they stay during their 24 hour shifts, but when they are off, they are off. And if they are of legal age, they may drink anything they like, except while on duty.

Is it true they cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives?
Again, another false rumor. How could that be enforced?

For more information, please visit the Society of the Honor Guard and www.tombguard.org/FAQ.html from where this information was taken.

Tomb Guards Stand Sentinel Through Isabel's Threatening Sweep
Date: 10/2/2003;

Publication: The Washington Post; Author: Steve Vogel

Standing guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery at the height of the storm caused by Hurricane Isabel, Sgt. 1st Class Fredrick Geary heard a sharp cracking sound. The tomb sentinel did not flinch as an old tree collapsed a couple of dozen yards from the plaza where he stood.

"There was this crack, and it was on the ground," Geary said the day after Isabel crashed through the Washington area on the night of Sept. 18. "I just watched it."

Geary could have retreated to shelter. As Isabel approached, commanders gave tomb guards the option of moving under the shelter of the tomb' s arches or even inside the trophy room during the storm.

That did not happen. "Other than something earth-shattering, we had no intention of doing anything other than our duty," said Geary, who, as sergeant of the guard, made the decision to keep the sentinels on the black mat that they walk 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

It was a heartwarming story of devotion to duty and honor in the face of adversity, and it made the news around the country and around the world. But the version most people heard was a bit exaggerated.

The Associated Press, which broke the story, reported that the tomb guards "were given -- for the first time in history -- permission to abandon their posts and seek shelter."

Picking up this theme, Tom Brokaw of NBC News saluted "this display of pride and patriotism," reporting that "those who guard the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery were told they could abandon their 24-hour-a-day post and come indoors."

In fact, according to tomb guards and their commander, the soldiers never had permission to abandon their posts. They did have a contingency plan allowing them to withdraw to safer positions while continuing to guard the tomb. If the wind had really been nasty, they could have moved underneath the amphitheater arches, a position that afforded some shelter but would have left them outdoors. If conditions were life-threatening, they could have moved inside to the trophy room.

The sentinels would have been able to watch the tomb even had they been forced inside, according to Capt. Tom Piaget, commander of the company that oversees the tomb sentinels. "The mission was never in jeopardy, and neither were the soldiers," he said.

Most news reports also made it sound as though the guards had stood up to the instructions of confused though well-meaning superiors.

They did not report that it was Geary himself -- the sentinel who stood through much of the storm -- who had suggested that the tomb guards needed a contingency plan. Based on the projected threat of Isabel earlier in the week, Geary, as sergeant of the guard, had recommended to his chain of command that the guards have a backup procedure in case the winds were endangering lives.

The plan was approved by Arlington National Cemetery Superintendent Jack Metzler and by commanders with the 3rd U.S. Infantry (Old Guard), the regiment at Fort Myer in Arlington responsible for protecting the tomb.

"It would have been irresponsible not to have a contingency plan," Piaget said.

The version viewers heard on CNN even had the soldiers disobeying orders to stay at their post. "The soldiers who stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery were given permission to leave their posts and seek shelter," Anderson Cooper told viewers on Sept. 19. "It was an order the soldiers on duty did not obey."

It made for a better story that way.

The actual version is still impressive. At the cemetery the day after the storm hit, ground crews were busy cleaning up 24 fallen trees, including two near the tomb and its sentinels.

However, tomb sentinels are accustomed to all kinds of bad weather while on duty. Geary, 37, a resident of Prince William County, was downright dismissive of Isabel. "This storm did not live up to anywhere near the hype that the media made," he said. "It wasn't anything more than we've seen at other times."

Superintendent Metzler was impressed. "There were trees coming down, the wind was blowing, but they stood their post," said Metzler, who lives at the cemetery. "These guys are young studs."

Guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns is a solemn duty, reserved for only the finest soldiers. The tomb, dedicated to lost and missing American soldiers from all wars, has been continuously guarded since 1937.

Visit the web site of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment.,

Thanks to the Society of the Honor Guard for the above information which is now correct.