WEBVTT - What Is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum here. The third U. S. Infantry Division is

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<v Speaker 1>the oldest active duty infantry regiment in the nation. It's

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<v Speaker 1>the army's official ceremonial unit and the escort to the President,

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<v Speaker 1>known as the Old Guard. Select Third Infantry soldiers are

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<v Speaker 1>also assigned to a platoon with a duty unlike any

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<v Speaker 1>other in the armed Forces, guarding the Tomb of the

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<v Speaker 1>Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Each year, more than

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<v Speaker 1>three million tourists stream into Arlington National which sits just

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<v Speaker 1>west of Washington, d C. To visit the Tomb of

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<v Speaker 1>the Unknowns. Their sentinels of the third U. S. Infantry

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<v Speaker 1>have stood guard every minute of every day since July second,

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<v Speaker 1>ninety seven. They've stood through snowfalls and hurricanes. They were

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<v Speaker 1>witnesses terrorists flew a plane into the nearby Pentagon on

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<v Speaker 1>September eleventh, two thousand one. We spoke via email with

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<v Speaker 1>Major Stephen C. Von Jett, the director of Public Affairs

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<v Speaker 1>for the regiment. He said, the vigil remains unbroken to

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<v Speaker 1>honor the sacrifice of the Unknowns because they gave their

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<v Speaker 1>very identities for our nation. The Tomb of the Unknown

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<v Speaker 1>Soldier as it is today, contains the remains of more

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<v Speaker 1>than one soldier. Once it honored a soldier who was

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<v Speaker 1>later identified. The idea of a tomb for unknowns began

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<v Speaker 1>in nine one. The original idea was to honor an

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<v Speaker 1>unidentified soldier killed in World War One. The Army exhumed

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<v Speaker 1>four soldiers from American cemeteries in France on Memorial Day

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<v Speaker 1>of that year and shows one for the spot in

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<v Speaker 1>Arlington in an elaborate ceremony. After the casket was transported

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<v Speaker 1>to the US by the Navy cruiser U. S. S. Olympia,

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<v Speaker 1>President Warren G. Harding presided over the internment ceremonies. On

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<v Speaker 1>November twenty one, a white marble sarcophagus was placed over

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<v Speaker 1>the grave with this inscription. On the west side, here

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<v Speaker 1>rests an honored glory, an American soldier known but to

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<v Speaker 1>God over the years. To the west of the original tomb,

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<v Speaker 1>three other graves were erected, marked with white marble slabs

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<v Speaker 1>that are flushed to the ground. These honor the unknown

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<v Speaker 1>dead of World War Two, Korea and Vietnam. The soldiers

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<v Speaker 1>in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are among more

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<v Speaker 1>than five thousand unidentified soldiers buried throughout Arlington National Cemetery.

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<v Speaker 1>Von Jett says of the other unknowns at Arlington, generally

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<v Speaker 1>their gravestones read unknown and then what service the unknown

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<v Speaker 1>served with if known. If known, there will be a

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<v Speaker 1>date of demise. We recently placed a flag on every

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<v Speaker 1>grave side for Memorial Day. During flags in I've seen

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<v Speaker 1>hundreds of unknown markers myself. Some are just right next

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<v Speaker 1>to the tomb plaza. The ceremonial unknowns of World War

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<v Speaker 1>Two and Korea were interred at the Tomb of the

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<v Speaker 1>Unknown Soldier in nineteen fifty eight, and the Vietnam War

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<v Speaker 1>unknown was ceremoniously interred on Memorial Day in nine four

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<v Speaker 1>In after investigations pointed to the identity of the Vietnam Unknown,

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<v Speaker 1>the remains were exhumed and later positively identified through DNA

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<v Speaker 1>testing as those of First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassi of St. Louis, Missouri,

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<v Speaker 1>a pilot shut down over Vietnam in nineteen seventy two.

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<v Speaker 1>Blassies remains were returned to his family. He was reinterred

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<v Speaker 1>at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on the banks of the

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<v Speaker 1>Mississippi in St. Louis County, Missouri. The Army made the

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<v Speaker 1>decision to leave the Vietnam crypt empty. The cover has

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<v Speaker 1>been replaced with one with this inscription, honoring and keeping

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<v Speaker 1>faith with America's Missing Servicemant eight to nineteen seventy five.

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<v Speaker 1>According to von Jette, no plans exist for any further

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<v Speaker 1>disinterments of unknowns from any previous wars. These days, a

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<v Speaker 1>DNA sample is now taken from every service member upon

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<v Speaker 1>joining the armed forces, which helps identify fallen soldiers. A

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<v Speaker 1>former Secretary of Defense, William Cohen, told reporters after Blassie

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<v Speaker 1>was returned home, it may be that forensic science has

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<v Speaker 1>reached the point where there will be no other unknowns

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<v Speaker 1>in any war. Von Jette said the U. S. Army

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<v Speaker 1>has made great strides when it comes to service member identification.

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<v Speaker 1>While some incidents might make initial identification of remains challenging,

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<v Speaker 1>there are no unknowns from current or recent conflict. Standing

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<v Speaker 1>vigil over the unknowns are the Tomb Guard Sentinels of

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<v Speaker 1>the Old Guard, a handpicked group of Army soldiers who

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<v Speaker 1>are arduously trained and fiercely dedicated to honoring the memory

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<v Speaker 1>of those who gave their lives for their country. Whether

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<v Speaker 1>it's in the dead of summer in front of thousands

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<v Speaker 1>of sweaty tourists or at midnight in the dark of winter,

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<v Speaker 1>the sentinels carry out their duty with remarkable precision. On

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<v Speaker 1>every hour in the winter while Arlington is open, and

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<v Speaker 1>on every half hour in the summer, the soldiers moved

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<v Speaker 1>through an intricately choreographed ceremony that includes a rifle inspection

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<v Speaker 1>and the literal changing of the guard. Oh. Once the

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<v Speaker 1>ceremony is complete, the sentinel, who has come on in relief,

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<v Speaker 1>begins the slow and steady walk down a mat beside

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<v Speaker 1>the tomb, rifle on shoulder until the next change. After

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<v Speaker 1>hours of arlington, a sentinel sometimes walks a longer shift,

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<v Speaker 1>but a soldier is always on guard at the tomb.

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<v Speaker 1>The guards walk consists of twenty one slow steps. These

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<v Speaker 1>refer to the twenty one gun salute, the highest honor

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<v Speaker 1>given any military or foreign dignitary. Then a sharp military turn,

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<v Speaker 1>a heel click, a twenty one second pause while facing

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<v Speaker 1>the tomb, then another turn and another twenty one second

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<v Speaker 1>stop before beginning the twenty one steps to the other

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<v Speaker 1>end of the mat. Soldiers rifle has switched to the

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<v Speaker 1>shoulder farthest from the tomb, between the tomb and any threat.

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<v Speaker 1>Noon is often thought to be the most prestigious time

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<v Speaker 1>for the changing of the guard because of the big crowds,

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<v Speaker 1>especially in the summer, but von Jette says that prestige

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<v Speaker 1>it doesn't come into Playford sentinels quote. All of our guards,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is going back years, will tell you that

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<v Speaker 1>knights on the plaza are special. Just about everyone says

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<v Speaker 1>night duty is their favorite. It's the opportunity for the

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<v Speaker 1>guard to be alone with the unknowns, to think about

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<v Speaker 1>their sacrifice and what guarding the unknowns means to them.

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<v Speaker 1>The Honor Guard has three groups or reliefs, which each

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<v Speaker 1>include a relief commander who addresses onlookers and announces the

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<v Speaker 1>changing of the guard, and about six sentinels. They currently

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<v Speaker 1>do a twenty six hours on twenty two hours off

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<v Speaker 1>schedule for six days before they take a ninety six

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<v Speaker 1>hour administrative block before starting again. They train every day

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<v Speaker 1>even when they're off. When they're on not on the plaza,

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<v Speaker 1>they're performing many daily rituals in preparation for their walk,

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<v Speaker 1>including pressing and steaming their uniforms. Buffing their medals and decorations,

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<v Speaker 1>and practicing their rifle movements. And that's every day, twenty

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<v Speaker 1>four hours a day since nine seven, whether anyone's watching

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<v Speaker 1>or not. Von Jett said, I've been on the plaza

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<v Speaker 1>when no one was there but me and the guard.

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<v Speaker 1>I've been there with thousands packed shoulder to shoulder. Both

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<v Speaker 1>are special and I recommend both experiences. Today's episode for

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<v Speaker 1>written by John Donovan and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works. For

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