Excerpt:
Then you have uniforms. The basic uniform of a Tomb Sentinel consists of a heavy wool uniform that weighs in excess of 10 pounds on its own, an M14 rifle outfitted with a custom stock, heavy boots with metal inserts to assist in making that signature “click” sound everyone loves so much and a host of smaller adornments like belts, holsters and a pair of sunglasses to help shield a guard’s eyes from glare. It’s noted that trainee guards will sometimes spend in excess of 10-12 hours per day just cleaning and preparing their uniform to get it to the exacting standards of their superiors who themselves will spend about 6-8 hours cleaning and pressing their own uniforms, despite their extensive experience in the task. As part of this preparation, the badges, buttons and medals on the uniform must also be accurately placed to within “1/64th of an inch”.
Read The Whole Story
That's pretty awe-inspiring. The title Standing in a Hurricane'. I never served but appreciate all who have. THIS was cool too.
ReplyDeleteThat is cool DaBlade.
DeleteYes, very cool.
DeleteCan't help but juxtapose the picture of the marine holding the umbrella for obama the great during a slight sprinkle on the South Lawn.
ReplyDeleteDaBlade, yea, man what a stain on thebottom of our shoe barry was and is.
DeleteI couldn't have served in that unit. It would have scared me to death I would screw up.
ReplyDeleteOdie, The discipline needed to perform in such a way is beyond my skills.
DeleteWow, that's impressive.
ReplyDeleteCube, I thought so.
DeleteImpressive, indeed, –– and a superb answer to the leftist twits and redneck rubes who urge doing away with the Royal Family and all the pageantry that characterizes the heart and soul of once-but-Alas-no-longer-Great Britain.
ReplyDeleteSYMBOLS are of vital importantance –– especially when they are LIVING symbols. That's why maintaining these seemingly ridiculous high standards described in the arti[cle are vitally important. It's not the uniforms –– or even the men who wear them –– for that matter; it's the ideals and principles they REPRESENT.
Once a nation denigrates, disrespects and discards the SYMBOLS of its past and potential glory that nation loses its identity and soon becomes moribund.
In plainer language:
Can you imagine a U.S. President, a Senator, a Representative, a Supreme Court Justice –– or your children's Schoolteacher for that matter –– performing their duties unshaven with uncombed hair in baggy, threadbare jeans and a dirty T-shirt after not having bathed for a month?
THINK about it.
FT, Not sure what you mean about British Royalty, but as far as I'm concerned they serve no useful purpose whatsoever and I would never equate any of them with the concept of the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier - One who represents the common man who sacrificed for his country (women were not in combat when this individual was returned to America) Totally different concept to me.
DeleteHi, Kid.
DeleteMy POINT concerns the value of respecting the SYMBOLS that represent our IDEALS. The British Royal family serve in that capacity for BRITAIN no matter how flawed they may be as individuals. That's why all the expensive pomp and pageantry surrounding them must be maintained just as the extraordinarily high standards of maintainenance and manner of wearing the uniform must be upheld by those who guard the Tomb.
It's ALL symbolism and it's all important for the same reason, even though our country and Britain have greater differences between them than ever before.
Britain after all has just abandoned Freedom of Speech and has lapsed into dictatorshit.
FT, Ok, but personally I have no use for them. I lived there for 9 months in 1990 during the poll tax riots, and we're talking about people practically crying on the radio and TV that "they had 10 pounds extra a month and now the gov was taking that too". (Imagine even Knowing you have 10 lbs extra per month) I have no use for them. I'm offended by their very existence. They do nothing but suck money out of an economy that is on it's last legs and the royals provide nothing in return. To me, they are the symbol of why people left England and created America, the Declaration of Independence, and all the rest.
DeleteOffer me a cup of tea with the Queen and I'll bet I've get better things to do.
We disagree, but what the hey. Won't be the last time.
FT, Missed part of my point actually. Offer me a cup of tea with the man buried in the Tomb and I'll take that 100 times out of a 100 over meeting any of the royal family. To me, the Tomb Sentries are simply there to remind us of all the 'simple men in barracks' that gave their lives, while the royals sat back and watched the show. So that better explains the difference. I get the showmanship of the Sentries but in this context that are not important either in relation to the soldiers.
Delete