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Spc. Brett Hyde, Tomb Sentinel, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, keeps guard over the Tomb before the cemetery closed.U.S. Army, Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr. Visit the Photo Place |
ARLINGTON
--Arlington National Cemetery was closed to tourists as Hurricane Sandy approached Monday, but the Army continued to stand guard over the Tomb of the Unknowns.The Army's Third U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, is responsible for guarding the tomb.
A spokesman for the regiment, Maj. John Miller, said that when the cemetery closes, the guard continues. But it's not the familiar, choreographed 21-pace guard that the public typically sees.
Instead, soldiers in combat uniforms guard the tomb from a small enclosure covered by a green awning known as "the box," about 20 feet away.
If the weather becomes intolerable, the tomb can be guarded from a room inside a nearby amphitheater. But no such order had been given as of Monday afternoon.