Visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., is a sobering experience.
A key element of the experience is watching a member of the Army’s 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment — “The Old Guard” — marching 21 steps behind the tomb, pausing for 21 seconds to face east, another 21 seconds to face north, then retracing his or her 21 steps back down a mat.
They do it 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
But what happens when it rains? They do it 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Snow? Twenty-one steps, pause facing east for 21 seconds, face north for 21 seconds, then back.
Wind? The same. Even when, as recently, winds in the D.C. area reached 60 to 85 mph — as indicated in the tweet below — the guard continued.
We couldn’t be prouder of the @USArmyOldGuard Soldiers who watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Winds reached 60-85 mph in the DC region. This sentinel leans into it and continues marching.
Honor. https://t.co/WcGAnSl8xL
— Arlington National Cemetery (@ArlingtonNatl) July 30, 2023
Twenty-one steps, 21 seconds, 21 seconds, then back. Whatever the weather.
@washingtonpost my buddy (@SunsetGrilleDC) was at @ArlingtonNatl when the storm hit and got this video of the a member of the Third Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) staying on mission during the storm. Powerful. pic.twitter.com/omkdoWZGge
— 40 Minutes of Hell (@pneaville) July 29, 2023
The tomb contains the remains of an unidentified U.S. soldier from World War I interred there following a November 11, 1921, funeral ceremony.
The guard began in 1926 with soldiers from nearby Fort Myer placed to keep people from climbing or stepping on the tomb. Initially manned only during daylight, the guard extended to 24/7 in 1937.
In the days before improved technology, unidentified dead were common in wars, according to the official Arlington National Cemetery website.
Prior to the U.S. Civil War, American war dead were buried in mass graves.
Around the turn of the 20th century,…
