The Third Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer has the responsibility for standing a very formal sentry watch at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
This piece is not about the tons of marble, the 21 paces in each direction, or those interred there. Hard facts relating to the Tomb are easily found via an Internet search. This is about the men and women who guard the Tomb.
The source for this post was an e-mail from a friend that struck a nerve when I read it and I felt compelled to relate the story.
In 2003, hurricane Isabel came through the area and tore the hell out of everything. 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 refused.
During winds that turned over vehicles and turned debris into projectiles, the walking post, the measured steps continued.
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.
When questioned by a female reporter regarding the “silly purposeless” personal risk, the soldier replied, "I wouldn't expect you to understand. It's a military thing."
It was simply their duty, and one that they took seriously – the guards continued without respite through Isabel’s wind and rain.
God bless them ... In a time in our nation's history when spin and total BS seem to have become the accepted coin-of-the-realm, there beat hearts - the soldier’s hearts that fully understood that devotion to duty is not a part-time occupation. While we slept, we were represented by some damn fine men (and three women) who fully understood their post orders and proudly went about their assigned responsibilities unseen, unrecognized and in the finest tradition of the American military.
Without diminishing the sacrifices made by our armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan who risk life and limb daily, the symbolism of the duty so honored by the Tomb guards struck me and made me proud to have been a small part of a military that honors the concept of duty.
The Tomb of the Unknowns has been guarded continuously, without regard to weather, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since the 1930’s.