[Vision2020] Facts about the TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER

Dick Schmidt dickschmidt@moscow.com
Wed, 28 Apr 2004 19:21:49 -0700


This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0019_01C42D56.0DE90970
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Tom,

Your military URL is a good website. The information I sent came from a =
far right Republican conservative in Kentucky so the thing about =
drinking and swearing could be made up. They are Bush boot lickers.

Dick
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Tom Hansen=20
  To: Dick Schmidt ; vision2020@moscow.com=20
  Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 7:06 PM
  Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Facts about the TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER


  What better place to find out facts about the Tomb of the Unknown =
Soldier than the Military District of Washington:

  http://www.mdw.army.mil/FS-A11.HTM

  There is some fascinating history connected to the tombs.

  Take care,

  Tom Hansen
    -----Original Message-----
    From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com =
[mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]On Behalf Of Dick Schmidt
    Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 6:45 PM
    To: vision2020@moscow.com
    Subject: [Vision2020] Facts about the TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER


    All,

    I received this as one of many adressees and cannot swear to the =
accruacy of this article. Some of the information I have heard before. =
Tom Hansen probably would know as much about it as anyone on the list. I =
don't know if I could handle not being able to drink alcohol or swear in =
public the rest of my life if that is a true fact!!!

    Dick Schmidt


    Subject: TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER

    Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the =
Sentinels=20
    of the Third United States Infantry Regiment "Old Guard"

    1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the =
tomb of=20
    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.

    2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his =
return walk
    and why?

    21 seconds, for the same reason as answer number 1.

    3. Why are his gloves wet?

    His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the =
rifle.

    4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time, and if =
not,
    why not?

    No, he carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After =
his=20
    march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle =
to the
    outside shoulder.

    5. How often are the guards changed?

    Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, =
365 days=20
    a year.

    6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?

    For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between =
5' 10"
    and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30".

    Other requirements of the Guard:

    They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a =
barracks=20
    under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty FOR THE =
REST OF THEIR
    LIVES. They cannot swear in public FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES and =
cannot
    disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way.

    After TWO YEARS, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on =
their=20
    lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only =
400 presently
    worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or =
give=20
    up the wreath pin.

    The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat =
and=20
    cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the =
top of the
    shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There =
are no
    wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in =
front of a
    full-length mirror.

    The first SIX MONTHS of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor =
watch TV.
    All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to =
rest in
    Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and =
where
    they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. =
Lewis {the boxer}
    and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier =
of WWII} of
    Hollywood fame. Every guard spends FIVE HOURS A DAY getting his =
uniforms
    ready for guard duty.

    The Sentinels Creed:
    My dedication to this sacred duty is total and wholehearted. In the
    responsibility bestowed on me never will I falter. And with dignity =
and
    perseverance my
    standard will remain perfection. Through the years of diligence and =
praise
    and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble =
reverence
    tothe best of my ability. It is he who commands the respect I =
protect. His
    bravery that made us so proud. Surrounded by well meaning crowds by =
day
    alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored =
glory rest under my
    eternal vigilance.

    More Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknowns itself:

    The marble for the Tomb of the Unknowns was furnished by the Vermont =
Marble
    Company of Danby, Vt. The marble is the finest and whitest of =
American
    marble, quarried from the Yule Marble Quarry located near Marble, =
Colorado and is
    called Yule Marble. The Marble for the Lincoln memorial and other =
famous
    buildings was also quarried there.

    The Tomb consists of seven pieces of rectangular marble:
    Four pieces in sub base; weight =C2- 15 tons;
    One piece in base or plinth; weight =C2- 16 tons;
    One piece in die; weight =C2- 36 tons;
    One piece in cap; weight =C2- 12 tons;
    Carved on the East side (the front of the Tomb, which faces =
Washington,
    D.C.)
    is a composite of three figures, commemorative of the spirit of the =
Allies
    of World War I.

    In the center of the panel stands Victory (female).

    On the right side, a male figure symbolizes Valor.

    On the left side stands Peace, with her palm branch to reward the =
devotion
    and sacrifice that went with courage to make the cause of =
righteousness
    triumphant.

    The north and south sides are divided into three panels by Doric =
pilasters.
    In each panel is an inverted wreath.

    On the west, or rear, panel (facing the Amphitheater) is inscribed:

    HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD

    The first Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was a sub base and a base or =
plinth.
    It was slightly smaller than the present base. This was torn away =
when the
    present Tomb was started Aug. 27, 1931. The Tomb was completed and =
the area
    opened to the public 9:15 a.m. April 9, 1932, without any ceremony.

    Cost of the Tomb: $48,000
    Sculptor: Thomas Hudson Jones
    Architect: Lorimer Rich
    Contractors: Hagerman & Harris, New York City
    Inscription: Author Unknown

    (Interesting Commentary)

    The Third Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer has the responsibility for
    providing ceremonial units and honor guards for state occasions, =
White House social
    functions, public celebrations and interments at Arlington National=20
    Cemetery and standing a very formal sentry watch at the Tomb of the =
Unknowns.

    The public is familiar with the precision of what is called "walking =
post"
    at the Tomb. There are roped off galleries where visitors can form =
to observe
    the troopers and their measured step and almost mechanically, silent =
rifle
    shoulder changes. They are relieved every hour in a very formal =
drill that
    has to be seen to be believed.

    Some people think that when the Cemetery is closed to the public in =
the
    evening that this show stops. First, to the men who are dedicated to =
this
    work, it is no show. It is a "charge of honor." The formality and =
precision=20
    continues uninterrupted all night. During the nighttime, the drill =
of relief and the
    measured step of the on-duty sentry remain unchanged from the =
daylight
    hours. To these men, these special men, the continuity of this post =
is the key to the
    honor and respect shown to these honored dead, symbolic of all =
unaccounted
    for American combat dead. The steady rhythmic step in rain, sleet, =
snow, hail,
    heat and cold must be uninterrupted. Uninterrupted is the important =
part of the
    honor shown.

    Recently, while you were sleeping, the teeth of hurricane Isabel =
came
    through this area and tore hell out of everything. We had thousands =
of trees down,
    power outages, traffic signals out, roads filled with downed limbs =
and=20
    "gear adrift" debris. We had flooding and the place looked like it =
had been the
    impact area of an off-shore bombardment.

    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 DISOBEYED THE ORDER!

    During winds that turned over vehicles and turned debris into =
projectiles,
    the measured step continued. One fellow said "I've got buddies =
getting shot
    at in Iraq who would kick my butt if word got to them that we let =
them down. I
    sure as hell have no intention of spending my Army career being =
known as=20
    the damned idiot who couldn't stand a little light breeze and =
shirked his duty."
    Then he said something in response to a female reporters question =
regarding=20
    silly purposeless personal risk... "I wouldn't expect you to =
understand. It's an
    enlisted man's thing." God bless the rascal... In a time in our =
nation's
    history when spin and total b.s. seem to have become the accepted=20
    coin-of-the-realm, there beat hearts - the enlisted hearts we all =
knew and=20
    were so damn proudto be
    a part of - that fully understand that devotion to duty is not a =
part-time
    occupation. While we slept, we were represented by some damn fine =
men who
    fully understood their post orders and proudly went about their =
assigned
    responsibilities unseen, unrecognized and in the finest tradition of =
the
    American Enlisted Man.=20
    Folks, there's hope. The spirit that George S. Patton,=20
    Arliegh Burke and Jimmy Doolittle left us ... survives.

    On the ABC evening news, it was reported recently that, because of =
the
    dangers from Hurricane Isabel approaching Washington, DC, the =
military
    members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown =
Soldier were given
    permission to suspend the assignment. They refused. "No way, Sir!"

    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. The tomb has been =
patrolled
    continuously, 24/7, since 1930.

    Very, very proud of our soldiers in uniform!

------=_NextPart_000_0019_01C42D56.0DE90970
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV>Tom,</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Your&nbsp;military URL&nbsp;is a good website. The&nbsp;information =
I sent=20
came from a far right Republican conservative in Kentucky so the thing =
about=20
drinking and swearing could be made up. They are Bush boot =
lickers.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Dick</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
  <A title=3Dthansen@moscow.com href=3D"mailto:thansen@moscow.com">Tom =
Hansen</A>=20
  </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Ddickschmidt@moscow.com=20
  href=3D"mailto:dickschmidt@moscow.com">Dick Schmidt</A> ; <A=20
  title=3Dvision2020@moscow.com=20
  href=3D"mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, April 28, 2004 =
7:06=20
  PM</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: [Vision2020] Facts =
about the=20
  TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D792020102-29042004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>What better=20
  place to find out facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier than the =

  Military District of Washington:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D792020102-29042004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
  size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D792020102-29042004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2><A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.mdw.army.mil/FS-A11.HTM">http://www.mdw.army.mil/FS-A1=
1.HTM</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D792020102-29042004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
  size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D792020102-29042004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>There is some=20
  fascinating history connected to the tombs.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D792020102-29042004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
  size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D792020102-29042004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>Take=20
  care,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D792020102-29042004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
  size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D792020102-29042004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>Tom=20
  Hansen</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
  <BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
  style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
    <DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft><FONT =
face=3DTahoma=20
    size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> <A=20
    =
href=3D"mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com">vision2020-admin@moscow.com</=
A>=20
    [mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Dick=20
    Schmidt<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, April 28, 2004 6:45 =
PM<BR><B>To:</B>=20
    vision2020@moscow.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] Facts about =
the TOMB=20
    OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
    <DIV>All,</DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>I received this as one of many adressees and&nbsp;cannot swear =
to the=20
    accruacy of this article. Some of the information I have heard =
before. Tom=20
    Hansen probably would know as much about it as anyone on the list. I =
don't=20
    know if I could handle not being able to drink alcohol or swear in =
public=20
    the rest of my life if that is a true fact!!!</DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>Dick Schmidt</DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>Subject: TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER<BR><BR>Interesting facts =
about the=20
    Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Sentinels <BR>of the Third =
United States=20
    Infantry Regiment "Old Guard"<BR><BR>1. How many steps does the =
guard take=20
    during his walk across the tomb of <BR>the Unknowns and =
why?<BR><BR>21=20
    steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the=20
    highest<BR>honor given any military or foreign dignitary.<BR><BR>2. =
How long=20
    does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return =
walk<BR>and=20
    why?<BR><BR>21 seconds, for the same reason as answer number =
1.<BR><BR>3.=20
    Why are his gloves wet?<BR><BR>His gloves are moistened to prevent =
his=20
    losing his grip on the rifle.<BR><BR>4. Does he carry his rifle on =
the same=20
    shoulder all the time, and if not,<BR>why not?</DIV>
    <DIV><BR>No, he carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the =
tomb. After=20
    his <BR>march across the path, he executes an about face and moves =
the rifle=20
    to the<BR>outside shoulder.<BR><BR>5. How often are the guards=20
    changed?<BR><BR>Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four =
hours a=20
    day, 365 days <BR>a year.<BR><BR>6. What are the physical traits of =
the=20
    guard limited to?<BR><BR>For a person to apply for guard duty at the =
tomb,=20
    he must be between 5' 10"<BR>and 6' 2" tall and his waist size =
cannot exceed=20
    30".<BR><BR>Other requirements of the Guard:<BR><BR>They must commit =
2 years=20
    of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks <BR>under the tomb, =
and cannot=20
    drink any alcohol on or off duty FOR THE REST OF THEIR<BR>LIVES. =
They cannot=20
    swear in public FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES and cannot<BR>disgrace =
the=20
    uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way.<BR><BR>After TWO YEARS, =
the guard=20
    is given a wreath pin that is worn on their <BR>lapel signifying =
they served=20
    as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently<BR>worn. The =
guard must=20
    obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give <BR>up the =
wreath=20
    pin.<BR><BR>The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to =
keep the=20
    heat and <BR>cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that =
extend=20
    to the top of the<BR>shoe in order to make the loud click as they =
come to a=20
    halt. There are no<BR>wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards =
dress=20
    for duty in front of a<BR>full-length mirror.<BR><BR>The first SIX =
MONTHS of=20
    duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV.<BR>All off duty =
time is=20
    spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in<BR>Arlington =
National=20
    Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where<BR>they are =
interred.=20
    Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the =
boxer}<BR>and=20
    Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of =
WWII}=20
    of<BR>Hollywood fame. Every guard spends FIVE HOURS A DAY getting =
his=20
    uniforms<BR>ready for guard duty.<BR><BR>The Sentinels Creed:<BR>My=20
    dedication to this sacred duty is total and wholehearted. In=20
    the<BR>responsibility bestowed on me never will I falter. And with =
dignity=20
    and<BR>perseverance my<BR>standard will remain perfection. Through =
the years=20
    of diligence and praise<BR>and the discomfort of the elements, I =
will walk=20
    my tour in humble reverence<BR>tothe best of my ability. It is he =
who=20
    commands the respect I protect. His<BR>bravery that made us so =
proud.=20
    Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day<BR>alone in the thoughtful =
peace of=20
    night, this soldier will in honored glory rest under my<BR>eternal=20
    vigilance.<BR><BR>More Interesting facts about the Tomb of the =
Unknowns=20
    itself:<BR><BR>The marble for the Tomb of the Unknowns was furnished =
by the=20
    Vermont Marble<BR>Company of Danby, Vt. The marble is the finest and =
whitest=20
    of American<BR>marble, quarried from the Yule Marble Quarry located =
near=20
    Marble, Colorado and is<BR>called Yule Marble. The Marble for the =
Lincoln=20
    memorial and other famous<BR>buildings was also quarried =
there.<BR><BR>The=20
    Tomb consists of seven pieces of rectangular marble:<BR>Four pieces =
in sub=20
    base; weight =C2- 15 tons;<BR>One piece in base or plinth; weight =
=C2- 16=20
    tons;<BR>One piece in die; weight =C2- 36 tons;<BR>One piece in cap; =
weight =C2-=20
    12 tons;<BR>Carved on the East side (the front of the Tomb, which =
faces=20
    Washington,<BR>D.C.)<BR>is a composite of three figures, =
commemorative of=20
    the spirit of the Allies<BR>of World War I.<BR><BR>In the center of =
the=20
    panel stands Victory (female).<BR><BR>On the right side, a male =
figure=20
    symbolizes Valor.<BR><BR>On the left side stands Peace, with her =
palm branch=20
    to reward the devotion<BR>and sacrifice that went with courage to =
make the=20
    cause of righteousness<BR>triumphant.<BR><BR>The north and south =
sides are=20
    divided into three panels by Doric pilasters.<BR>In each panel is an =

    inverted wreath.<BR><BR>On the west, or rear, panel (facing the=20
    Amphitheater) is inscribed:<BR><BR>HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN =
AMERICAN=20
    SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD<BR><BR>The first Tomb of the Unknown =
Soldier was a=20
    sub base and a base or plinth.<BR>It was slightly smaller than the =
present=20
    base. This was torn away when the<BR>present Tomb was started Aug. =
27, 1931.=20
    The Tomb was completed and the area<BR>opened to the public 9:15 =
a.m. April=20
    9, 1932, without any ceremony.<BR><BR>Cost of the Tomb: =
$48,000<BR>Sculptor:=20
    Thomas Hudson Jones<BR>Architect: Lorimer Rich<BR>Contractors: =
Hagerman=20
    &amp; Harris, New York City<BR>Inscription: Author=20
    Unknown<BR><BR>(Interesting Commentary)<BR><BR>The Third Infantry =
Regiment=20
    at Fort Myer has the responsibility for<BR>providing ceremonial =
units and=20
    honor guards for state occasions, White House social<BR>functions, =
public=20
    celebrations and interments at Arlington National <BR>Cemetery and =
standing=20
    a very formal sentry watch at the Tomb of the Unknowns.<BR><BR>The =
public is=20
    familiar with the precision of what is called "walking post"<BR>at =
the Tomb.=20
    There are roped off galleries where visitors can form to =
observe<BR>the=20
    troopers and their measured step and almost mechanically, silent=20
    rifle<BR>shoulder changes. They are relieved every hour in a very =
formal=20
    drill that<BR>has to be seen to be believed.<BR><BR>Some people =
think that=20
    when the Cemetery is closed to the public in the<BR>evening that =
this show=20
    stops. First, to the men who are dedicated to this<BR>work, it is no =
show.=20
    It is a "charge of honor." The formality and precision <BR>continues =

    uninterrupted all night. During the nighttime, the drill of relief =
and=20
    the<BR>measured step of the on-duty sentry remain unchanged from the =

    daylight<BR>hours. To these men, these special men, the continuity =
of this=20
    post is the key to the<BR>honor and respect shown to these honored =
dead,=20
    symbolic of all unaccounted<BR>for American combat dead. The steady =
rhythmic=20
    step in rain, sleet, snow, hail,<BR>heat and cold must be =
uninterrupted.=20
    Uninterrupted is the important part of the<BR>honor =
shown.<BR><BR>Recently,=20
    while you were sleeping, the teeth of hurricane Isabel =
came<BR>through this=20
    area and tore hell out of everything. We had thousands of trees=20
    down,<BR>power outages, traffic signals out, roads filled with =
downed limbs=20
    and <BR>"gear adrift" debris. We had flooding and the place looked =
like it=20
    had been the<BR>impact area of an off-shore bombardment.<BR><BR>The=20
    Regimental Commander of the U.S. Third Infantry sent word to=20
    the<BR>nighttime Sentry Detail to secure the post and seek shelter =
from the=20
    high<BR>winds, to ensure their personal safety.<BR><BR>THEY =
DISOBEYED THE=20
    ORDER!<BR><BR>During winds that turned over vehicles and turned =
debris into=20
    projectiles,<BR>the measured step continued. One fellow said "I've =
got=20
    buddies getting shot<BR>at in Iraq who would kick my butt if word =
got to=20
    them that we let them down. I<BR>sure as hell have no intention of =
spending=20
    my Army career being known as <BR>the damned idiot who couldn't =
stand a=20
    little light breeze and shirked his duty."<BR>Then he said something =
in=20
    response to a female reporters question regarding <BR>silly =
purposeless=20
    personal risk... "I wouldn't expect you to understand. It's =
an<BR>enlisted=20
    man's thing." God bless the rascal... In a time in our =
nation's<BR>history=20
    when spin and total b.s. seem to have become the accepted=20
    <BR>coin-of-the-realm, there beat hearts - the enlisted hearts we =
all knew=20
    and </DIV>
    <DIV>were so damn proudto be<BR>a part of - that fully understand =
that=20
    devotion to duty is not a part-time<BR>occupation. While we slept, =
we were=20
    represented by some damn fine men who<BR>fully understood their post =
orders=20
    and proudly went about their assigned<BR>responsibilities unseen,=20
    unrecognized and in the finest tradition of the<BR>American Enlisted =
Man.=20
    </DIV>
    <DIV>Folks, there's hope. The spirit that George S. Patton, =
<BR>Arliegh=20
    Burke and Jimmy Doolittle left us ... survives.<BR><BR>On the ABC =
evening=20
    news, it was reported recently that, because of the<BR>dangers from=20
    Hurricane Isabel approaching Washington, DC, the military<BR>members =

    assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were=20
    given<BR>permission to suspend the assignment. They refused. "No =
way,=20
    Sir!"<BR><BR>Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a =
tropical=20
    storm, they<BR>said that guarding the Tomb was not just an =
assignment; it=20
    was the highest<BR>honor that can be afforded to a service person. =
The tomb=20
    has been patrolled<BR>continuously, 24/7, since 1930.<BR><BR>Very, =
very=20
    proud of our soldiers in=20
uniform!<BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0019_01C42D56.0DE90970--