This
is the second part of a 2 part series on the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The first part was about the “why and the who” of the tomb and this
part will focus on the guards of the tomb.
They prefer to be called Sentinels rather than guards and they
represent an elite unit of the 1st Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old
Guard). The Old Guard is the oldest Infantry unit
in the Army, dating back to June of 1784. It was given the name "The Old
Guard of the Army" by General Winfield Scott in 1847.
The United States Army was given the honor of guarding the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier in 1926, as the Army is the oldest of the military services.
Prior to 1926, there were no military guards posted at the Tomb. In fact,
after the internment of the Unknown Soldier in 1921, the Tomb remained
unguarded until 1925, when a civilian guard would be present during the day.
The military posted its first guard on March 25th 1926.
The
Sentinel's Creed
My dedication to
this sacred duty
is total and whole-hearted.
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
to the 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.
There
have been some rumors about Sentinels and what is required of them. There was a recent email circulating on the Internet about
some pretty outlandish restrictions and commitments that are untrue, but there
are a lot of requirements and commitments that Sentinels must abide by to wear
the patch and badge. First let’s look at some of the false 
rumors.
It is not true that a sentinel must vow to never swear or drink in
public for the rest of his life. It
is not true that they must live under the tomb for the entire 2 years of their
tour, they live in the barracks at Fort Myer or off post if authorized.
There are living quarters under the
steps of the amphitheater were the guards are housed during their 24 hour on
duty cycle. When they are off, they are off duty.
Now
for some facts of Sentinels of the Tomb.
Guards are between 5’11” and 6’4” and are matched in height
into 3 relief's of similar heights. When
they “walk the mat” in front of The Tomb they take 21 steps, stop and turn
to The Tomb, go to “port arms” for 21 seconds, turn and put the rifle on
the shoulder away from The Tomb and take 21 steps. They repeat this process
for the time they are on guard duty. The
21 steps and seconds are as in the “21 Gun Salute” which is a sign of
respect and honor. The Tomb is guarded 24 hours per day, 365 days per year,
since 1931 when the Army was given the assignment.
The guard is changed every 30 minutes in the summer and every hour in
the winter, but during the hours
the cemetery is closed they are changed every 2 hours.
The guards wear regulation low cut shoes, but with the soles built up
for more cushion and to make the steps more smooth.
They have metal “horse shoe” heel taps, a steel toe cap and a
special metal “clicker” to accentuate the turns. The Sentinels at The Tomb
are some of the most elite guards in the world and they do their job with
great respect and reverence.
From
the Commander
It
doesn’t seem possible but the first month has passed so quickly.
We had our special Executive board meeting and all committee chairmen were
appointed. J. C. is learning the
Adjutants job pretty fast and he needs your assistance in the renewal area.
The 2005 membership cards are in and over 200 of you have paid all ready. Keep ‘em coming.
I laid out some of my goals for
2004/2005 year, some are realistic and some our hopeful. With the support of
the membership and the Finance Officer we’ll accomplish the majority of
them.
1.
Pay off the debt.
2.
Repair the parking lot.
3.
Upgrade the furniture.
4.
Obtain 100% membership.
5.
Get the membership involved in Post functions.
We have scheduled the Early Bird
Party for September the 25th for all who have renewed on or before that date.
Again I thank you all for you support.
Phil Richardson
Finance Report
It
should be of great concern to all our members that American Legion Post 639 is
experiencing difficult financial problems.
The situation, simply put, is that the Post has expenses continuing at
a steady or increasing level and income declining.
The Post has two general sources of income – bingo and income from
the bar and kitchen. This year
and last year the income from these two sources has not been enough to sustain
our activities. The bingo income,
and incidentally the bingo income of other organizations in Springfield, are
down significantly. The income
from the Post bar and kitchen operation is also lagging while expenses remain
level or have increased. An
examination of our operation shows that our drink prices are considerable
lower than public bars in Springfield, yet most of our members are not coming
into the Post. Why are our members not supporting their own Post?
Post 639 needs your support in the form of ideas to improve and your
support in patronizing the Post that belongs to you.
This is your Post. Be a
part of Commander Richardson’s achievable success.
Start today!! Come on in!!!!
Tom Mabrey
From
your Chaplain
Well,
the past 30 days have not been kind to Post 639.
Scotty has been in the hospital on and off for most of August, but he
is back and doing better (the good news is that he lost some weight).
Jim Parlier has been in and out of the hospital for all the month of
August and he is still not well. He
may go to St. Louis for some tests the first of September.
We wish Scotty and Jim a speedy recovery.
We would like to offer our condolences to Sam McGowan and family on the
loss of his father in August. We
would also like to acknowledge our heartfelt loss of one of our brothers,
Kelly Trotter. He will be missed by everyone at the post.
Our prayers go out to those that are grieving these loses, along with
all our brave soldiers in harms way. Fly
your flag with pride and may “God bless America.”
Bob Carroll
From
the Web
Please
take a few minutes and check out your web site.
If you don’t have web access at home, go to the library or come by
the Post and check us out on Web TV at the post.
If you don’t know how to operate it, ask Angel or one of the other
members that do, they would be glad to help you out. You don’t have to be computer knowledgeable to check out
the site on Web TV. We now have
over 2,000 people that have visited the web site in the
The
Veterans Voice
Page
3
past 9 months. If you have suggestions, please email me at
comments@post639.com. Since we installed new officers in August the web page
has been updated with the list along with pictures (just click the name or
position). We feel we have one of the best American Legion web sites, please
support it by visiting it at www.post639.com.
Well, since Burman didn’t write anything and Phil was pretty brief, I
have plenty of room, but nothing else to say (go figure).
From the web, keep clicking.
Bill Roark
Ladies Auxiliary
Renewal
time is here again. There will be an Early Bird party for members who
have paid their dues by September 25th.
Dues can
also be paid on the date of the party. There will be entertainment and
prizes, so get those dues in ladies. Send your dues to me at:
Luanne Spradling, 5181 W. Sunshine Lot 39, Springfield, MO 65802. Don't
miss out on this chance to come to your post and enjoy your post family.
Audra
Gentry assisted by Janet Buckley installed the new 2004-2005 officers on
August 3rd.
There
will be a Fall Festival at the Post on October 8th with a silent auction, cake
walk and grab bags. We plan to have chili and hot dogs. 50% of the
proceeds from this will go to the Rainbow Network. This will be held
from 6 P.M. to 10 P.M. so come out and enjoy. The silent auction depends
on donations from businesses and individuals, so please go out and get
donations. Tax sheets are available at the post for businesses donating
to this cause.
At the
regular meeting on September 7th, Ann Murrell will be a guest speaker to
explain the workings of the Rainbow Network. Dinner is served at 6 PM
with the regular meeting at 7 PM.
We are
still selling chances for the quilt raffle. All the monies from this
raffle will go to Quilts With Love to help make quilts for our servicemen
overseas. Tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00.
Luanne Spradling
Adjutant
Membership
for the month of August has the post with 518 members.
I would like you to renew your membership with the post for 2005.
As of August 18th, we have 228 paid and due 290 for 2005’s
dues. They can be mailed in or
dropped by the post. We are at
44% in renewals already.
The “Grumpy” Commander wants us
to have 100% as soon as possible. We
are having the “Early Bird Party” on Saturday, September 25, 2005, so
I’ll see you there.
J.C. Ponder
Bingo
Report
Bingo
has been really slow this summer, with attendance averaging about 175 players
per week. For the month of August
our payouts have been very high
with the Jackpots going almost every week.
This means that we have been paying out more than we are taking in.
We need all our members to support Bingo by coming out to play or by
getting your friends and neighbors to come and play.
Since the weekly payouts are pretty constant, we just need more players
so Bingo will have the funds to contribute to Post 639 activities.
Mark Reed
Grins
& Giggles
During a college class a professor,
professing that he was an atheist to the class that he was teaching told them
that he was going to prove to them that there is no God.
He said, "God, if you are real,
I want you to knock me off of this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!"
Ten minutes went by. He kept taunting
God, saying, "Here I am God. I'm waiting!"
It got down to the last couple of
minutes and a young veteran service member just released from being on active
duty and newly registered in the class walked up to the professor, and hit him
full force in the face, which sent him tumbling from his platform.
The professor struggled up, obviously
shaken and yelled, "What's the matter with you? Why did you do
that?"
The veteran replied, "God was
busy; so he sent me!"
Editorial
Brief
When you meet veterans that are
coming home from Iraq, remember as Vietnam Era Vets how we were treated and do
two things. Number 1, tell them, “Welcome home” and Number 2, “Thank you
for what you have done”.
They deserve it.
Editor:
Bill Roark
Together
Then,
Together Now!!!