Changing of the Guard

Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.

U.S. Army sentry arrives to relieve the sentry currently on duty. He has his M14 rifle and uniform inspected before assuming his post. The rifle is not loaded and is mostly for show, but the guard is still armed with a loaded pistol. He will walk 21 paces back and forth along the black mat until his relief comes.

With only a few exceptions, such as when other ceremonies are performed at the tomb, this ongoing process has been performed without interruption since 1937, even at night when no visitors are present. Approximately 650,000 Changing of the Guard ceremonies have been performed here in the past 73 years.

The men in the yellow t-shirts are WWII veterans from Tuscaloosa, AL, touring the D.C. area courtesy of The Honor Flight Network and the Tuscaloosa Rotary Club

Category:

Education

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• Army
• Arlington
• National
• Cemetery
• Virginia
• Washington
• D.C.
• Tomb
• of
• the
• Unknown
• Soldier
• Honor
• Flight
• Tuscaloosa
• Rotary