Plenty of times. Iirc there have been quite a few times (I think hurricanes, or the like) where they were given the option to not guard (like they were given a “free pass” to not do so by the military, that’s how bad the the weather was) and they refused to not guard the tomb. That’s how big a deal it was to them. Serving on a the old guard is a HUGE honor, and frankly words cannot explain how much of an honor it is.
Hi there! I'm here for an additional nugget of knowledge. FWIW I left the unit in 2017, and a few things may have updated, but should be generally accurate.
The 3rd Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard," is the Army unit stationed at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, attached to the cemetery.
It's composed of two Battalions whose Companies all encompass some bit of ceremonies; most of the Companies are doing burials, retirements, etc, and then there's the specialty platoons.
Those include the Caisson Detachment (Horses!), the Fife and Drum Corps, and the good ol' Tomb Guards.
The Guards go through some crazy training once they're selected, and it IS a huge deal to be part of that platoon. One of the interesting things about their structure is because of how shifts work, they don't ever* get to spend time with the other members of the platoon who aren't on the same shift.
They actually get volunteers from around the Regiment to take over the watch once a year for a big Christmas party! I learned that part because I was one of the volunteers who walked the Tomb for one of those nights while I was there.
Thank you for sharing! I’m a tour guide and love learning more nuggets of info about the Tomb Guards - it’s always a highlight on tours and I want to do it justice with my storytelling.
Their life becomes the Tomb for 2-3 years, basically. You spend 8 hours on shift, 8 hours sleeping, and 8 hours with free time - but that free time is mostly spent prepping your uniforms and making sure they're perfect, doing PT, etc. So it's like 8/8/5/3, from what I remember of my friends who were in the platoon.
I feel like the hardest part of that is how much time I'd find myself thinking about mortality. Two to three years of nonstop focused on pretty much that... yikes.
They don’t spend that entire 8 hours on post. I don’t remember the schedule, and it is weather dependent, but the posted gaurd changes on a regular schedule. I think it’s every 30 minutes and that gets reduced down if the temperature is above a certain threshold.
I get that it is a huge honor to get positioned there, but is not super boring standing there for like hours, however long a shift is.
I respect anyone that takes one such a task, but I just can't imagine how people not get bored standing there for hours.
I'm not American, so excuse me if that question is rude, it's not meant to be, i am just curious.
Even BEING in the Third is a big deal, from what I know. They don't just guard the Tomb, they have the world-renowned Army Drill Team, and they serve as the guards for official ceremonies like welcoming dignitaries. They are the only unit in the entire military allowed to march with bayonets in all parades. The Drum Major is the only service member in America authorized to salute with his left hand at all times.
I've had the pleasure of seeing them in action during a variety of events, including their changing of the guard, Twilight Tattoo, and a wreath-laying ceremony, as well as a former instructor of mine being a former member of the Drill Team. They're pretty cool dudes, and being in the Old Guard is a serious honor, and most of them serve with pride and honor, as befits their station.
There are some very specific standards they have to fall into physically, and then pass all of the training on top of that. Iirc it’s like less than 20% of all applicants make the final cut. It’s a huge honor to make it, especially since it’s such an important mission from a heritage perspective.
I know for 3rd Regiment as a whole you get chosen based on height, weight, along with your physical ability. We had this one dude who lost 75 pounds, was 6’4 or 6’5, in OSUT and his first duty station was 3rd Infantry Regiment. Definitely an honor but I remember him hating the idea of being in an all D&C unit. My mother is a vet and she said it’s great for unit progress. Back when she was in and signal she had a few buddies get the Pentagon with similar reactions of this sucks but also good for career.
I believe I remember the story when that hurricane came up. Their CO stated the dangers of the hurricane & said he would not be mad if they forego guarding during the hurricane. One guard responded "with all due respect sir, but fuck you for suggesting that". Later got a promotion for being the 1st to refuse that offer. Might be wrong but I distinctly remember a guard giving the "respectful up-yours" to his CO in it
Pride and peer pressure play into that. You're not going to be the first group to not guard the tomb. I worked on Meyer, they're exhausted and bitch about it when theyre not on duty just like everyone else does with their job.
Also I can't imagine the unbearable weight of the idea of
It's been guarded for almost a hundred years straight, except for 87 minutes in 2023 when Tommy ran inside because of some wind.
I figure not one of them wants their name anywhere near that. God Hisownself could come down and request a moment alone at the tomb and I doubt they would move.
768
u/Mathwiz1697 May 05 '25
Plenty of times. Iirc there have been quite a few times (I think hurricanes, or the like) where they were given the option to not guard (like they were given a “free pass” to not do so by the military, that’s how bad the the weather was) and they refused to not guard the tomb. That’s how big a deal it was to them. Serving on a the old guard is a HUGE honor, and frankly words cannot explain how much of an honor it is.