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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Recently I received an interesting e-mail from Hellcat Doug Berlin on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Although this article is not strictly 12th Armored Division history, I believe it is a subject of interest to many. It also got me thinking about the unknown and maybe forgotten GIs, and there were many in World War II (published figures: 78,773). I wonder how many Hellcats determined MIA at the end of the War were never found or correctly identified. Of the more than 78,000 MIAs at the end of WW II about 35,000 could be accounted for because they were members of a crew of a ship or a plane that was lost with no survivors. That leaves about 43,000 servicemen that were never accounted for or found. Forty-three thousand out of a total of 16,353,659 participants in all the Services equals about three tenths of one percent, a very small number, but 43,000 is a large enough number to get your attention. The U.S. Government is still diligently looking for lost/missing remains.

The Government and the Military goes through much effort and expense to select a subject for the Unknown Soldier. Each war results in a number of KIAs that have no identification, no traceable records or body marks and are deemed untraceable after an exhaustive investigation by the Graves Registration Service.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. is not the first or the original monument. The original burial site for the Unknown was located in Washington Square (initially Southeast Square) in Philadelphia. The area was designated as a park by William Penn in his 1682 blueprint for Philadelphia.

Over the early years it was used as a fishing hole, a cow pasture, a hayfield, a duck hunting spot and a location for revival meetings for the slaves of the time. Early on it was used as a potter's field for unknown persons. In 1776 it began to be used to bury the Revolutionary War casualties who died in the Philadelphia hospitals and in 1793 the graveyard was used for the victims of the Yellow Fever epidemic of that year. In 1825, it was renamed Washington Square in honor of George Washington, commander of the many troops buried within the cemetery. In 1954, the city of Philadelphia decided to erect a memorial to honor both General Washington and an unknown soldier from the Revolutionary War. An archaeological team was brought in to dig and after a number of false finds, they discovered a mass grave with the undisturbed remains of a male about twenty years old in the remnants of an oak coffin. The skull had evidence of a musket ball wound. This would be the body to be used for the Unknown Soldier.

The tomb bears the words Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington's Army who died to give you liberty. An eternal flame flickers in front of the wall bearing a replica of Jean Antoine Houdon's famous bronze sculpture of George Washington.

In Washington D.C. , the Tomb of the Unknowns or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (it was never officially named) was installed in the plaza of the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery following World War I. On March 4 1921, Congress approved the construction of a memorial crypt for the burial of an unidentified American soldier who died in battle during World War I.

On Memorial Day 1921, four unknowns were exhumed from four American cemeteries in France. The four, in identical caskets, were brought to the Hotel de Ville in the French town of Chalons.  There, on October 4, 1921, in the company of a large group of American and Allied dignitaries, the final selection of one of the four caskets was made by highly decorated Sergeant Edward Younger. After the ceremony, the casket of the chosen soldier was transported to a waiting American cruiser Olympia and was rapidly on its way to the U.S. The Olympia reached the Washington Navy Yard at 4:00PM on November 9, 1921 and the flag-draped casket was delivered to the Army and escorted to the Rotunda of the Capitol on the next day. The body of the Unknown lay in state, under guard of honor and was viewed by thousands of Government officials, diplomats and private citizens. On the morning of November 11, 1921, at 8:00AM, the casket was moved from the Capitol and under a military escort, reverently placed in the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington Cemetery. With due pomp and reverence, a simple funeral ceremony was conducted. The President of the United States, Warren G. Harding addressed the audience and conferred upon the Unknown Soldier the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Cross. After the conclusion of the ceremony, the casket, preceded by the clergy, the President and Mrs. Harding and other dignitaries, was borne to the sarcophagus where a brief committal service was held. With the sounding of Taps, three salvos of artillery and the National Salute, the ceremony ended. The sarcophagus, constructed of pure white marble, is inscribed on the west panel of the Tomb with the following words:

 HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY
 AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD

On the east panel facing Washington D.C. are sculpted three Greek figures representing Peace, Victory, and Valor.

On August 3, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill to select and pay tribute to the Unknowns of World War II and the Korean War. The World War II Unknown was selected from remains exhumed from cemeteries in Europe, Africa, Hawaii and the Philippines. Of these, two were selected—one from the European Theater and one from try Pacific Theater—and placed in identical caskets, then taken aboard the USS Canberra. During the trip to the U.S. a Navy Hospitalman, 1st Class William R. Charette, then the Navy's only active-duty Medal of Honor recipient, selected the Unknown Soldier of World War II. The remaining casket was solemnly buried at sea.

Four unknown Americans who died in the Korean War were exhumed from the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. Army Master Sergeant Ned Lyle made the final selection.

Both caskets arrived in Washington, D.C. on May 28, 1958 where they lay in the Capitol Rotunda until May 30, Memorial Day. That morning they were transported on caissons to Arlington National Cemetery. President Eisenhower awarded each the Medal of Honor and the two Unknowns were interred in the plaza beside their World War I comrade.

The Unknown service member from the Vietnam War was selected by Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Sergeant Major Allan Jay Kellogg, Jr. during a ceremony at Pearl Harbor on May 17, 1984. The Vietnam Unknown was transported aboard the USS Brewton to Alameda Naval Base in California and then flown to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, arriving on May 25, 1984. After a couple of days in the Capitol Rotunda, the casket was transported by caisson to the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington Cemetery on May 28 (Memorial Day).

President Ronald Reagan presided over the funeral and presented the Unknown with the Medal of Honor. President Reagan also acted as the next of kin by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony.

You may remember that the remains of the Vietnam Unknown was exhumed on May 14, 1998. Based on DNA testing, the scientists at the Dept. of Defense identified the remains as those of Air Force 1st LT. Michael J. Blassie, who was shot down near An Loc, Vietnam in 1972. The identification was announced on June 30, 1998 and on July 10th Lt. Blassie's remains arrived home to his family in St. Louis, Missouri.

Now back to Doug Berlin's e-mail.

Facts About the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?
Twenty-one steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

How long does the guard hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?
Twenty-one seconds for the same reason as answer No. 1.

Why are the guard's gloves wet?
 His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.

Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and if not, why not?
He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

How often are the guards changed?
Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?
For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist cannot exceed 30". Other requirements of the Guard: He must commit two years of life to guard the tomb and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of his life. He cannot swear in public for the rest of his life and cannot disgrace the uniform or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on his lapel signifying he served as a guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of his life or give up the wreath pin.

The guard’s shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and the cold from his feet. There are metal plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make a loud click as he comes to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.

For the first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are President Taft, Joe E. Lewis (the boxer), and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy (the most decorated soldier of WW II) of Hollywood fame.

Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE ON THEM.

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington D.C., our U.S. Senate/House took two days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The Tomb has been patrolled continuously since 1930.

We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve. God bless them and keep them.

Edward F. Waszak

References:       Doug Berlin e-mail
                          Various internet sites

 

        
   
   

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