Duty, honor and dedication

[vinny11950]

this picture amazes me.

(broken link removed to http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/soldiers-stand-guard-at-tomb-of-unknown-soldier?ref=fpblg)

 

[jharkin]

Mucho respect.. Ive heard that the competition for that detail is intense as well. Its considered a very high honor.

 

[BrotherBart]

A local reporter just went by there and reported that the soldier is standing tall and walking the 21 steps. At near the height of this thing. The airport just South of him is reporting 55 mile an hour wind gusts and of course the deluge of rain.

Go Army. And The Old Guard. Hooyah!

 

[ScotO]

Semper Fi, boys. What an awesome display of respect. I've always admired our military, seeing that Tomb of the Unknown Soldier being attended to, even during times like this, is over the top in terms of respect....

 

[BrotherBart]

Semper Fi,

 

[fossil]

"The first 24-hour guard was posted on midnight, July 2, 1937. The Tomb of the Unknowns has been guarded continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since that time. Inclement weather, terrorist attacks, et cetera, do not cause the watch to cease."

(Scotty, yer gettin' yer services mixed up here, pard. Semper Fi is short for Semper Fidelis, which is the US Marine Corps motto. These young Americans are in the US Army.)

 

[webbie]

Must have some damn good uniforms!

I'm all for honor, but I hope none of them get too sick doing it....

 

[DAKSY]

HOOAH!

 

[ScotO]

Yeah, I know. I'm speaking of the military in general, I guess. Duty, Honor, Country. I respect 'em all.

God Bless all who have ever served.

 

[pen]

Not to take anything away from the dedication / service of these folks (as I'm sure they all had a craptastic day there regardless), there are a lot of fake Sandy pics going around http://mashable.com/2012/10/29/fake-hurricane-sandy-photos/

pen

 

[vinny11950]

thanks for the info, pen. good to know the picture was from September but your link still shows a picture from today.

 

[fossil]

The story accompanying the photos in the original post tells the whole story. In fact it was members of the Old Guard who first noticed the pic going viral on Twitter that is not from today (but is real, nonetheless). They posted that info plus a pic that is from today.

Bogus pics show up on the Internet every time there's something going on, from the attacks on 9/11 to whatever.

 

[BrotherBart]

A local reporter went by Arlington a couple hours ago and the soldier was walking the 21. In 52 MPH gusts.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

"Nous Resterons La" or "we're staying there" the motto recognized by anyone who served in the 3rd Inf. division of which the 3rd Inf. regiment (the old guard) is part of. i was part of the "Marne" division from 1986-88 while the division was in germany.

my reason for bringing up the unit's motto is clear. they WILL remain there, standing post.

 

[fossil]

I did the flag presentation duty at a number of full honors Arlington burials, so met & worked a bit with the Caisson Platoon...soldiers who run the stables and take care of the caissons & do the burial processions. Without a doubt some very impressive (and modest) young men. It was a pleasure to work with them.

 

[BrotherBart]

They were wonderful when we buried our long lost crew members in 2001. Both The Old Guard and Pershing's Own. We were really grateful.

 

[fishingpol]

Mods, I have the same picture in the picture perfect forum. Feel free to close that one down as this thread seems to be doing well.

Netflix has a great National Geographic segment: "Arlington: Field of Honor" that is well worth watching. It follows the Old Guard during inspections before going out to guard the Tomb. It is quite moving.

I had the honor during my 8th grade field trip to Washington D.C. to place a wreath with another classmate before the Tomb during a ceremony. It was quite an experience, and now thinking back on it, it means more now then it did then. It was very quiet and solemn, and everyone watching made sure not a kid was talking or out of line. I had to dig this out of my momentos box, but it is as pristine as the day I put it away in 1984. Strange how events get lost in the shuffle of our lives.

 

[firefighterjake]

Just read today about the soldiers in The Old Guard who volunteer for this . . . and just how demanding it is . . . impressive to read the history and learn more about what these men and women must commit to -- it shows true grit and respect.