Postcard From The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

I recently heard of a remarkable action at the Tomb of the Unknowns, commonly known as The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery and I thought I would share it with you. Being a veteran myself, I should know more facts about this distinguished memorial so I did a little research.

The marble for the Tomb of the Unknowns was furnished by the Vermont Marble Company of Danby, Vt. The marble is the finest and whitest of American marble, quarried from the Yule Marble Quarry located near Marble, Colorado and is called Yule Marble. The Marble for the Lincoln memorial and other famous buildings was also quarried there. The Tomb consists of seven pieces of rectangular marble:

Four pieces in sub base; weight 15 tons; One piece in base or plinth; weight – 16 tons; One piece in die; weight – 36 tons; One piece in cap; weight – 12 tons.

Carved on the East side (the front of the Tomb, which faces Washington, D.C.) is a composite of three figures commemorative of the spirit of the Allies of World War I. In the center of the panel stands Victory (female). On the right side, a male figure symbolizes Valor. On the left side stands Peace, with her palm branch to reward the devotion and sacrifice that went with courage to make the cause of righteousness triumphant.

The north and south sides are divided into three panels by Doric pilasters. In each panel is an inverted wreath. On the west, or rear panel (facing the Amphitheater) is inscribed: HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD

The current Tomb was completed and the area opened to the public at 9:15 a.m. April 9, 1932, without any ceremony. The cost of the tomb was $48,000, under budget by $2,000.

The first Tomb was created in 1921 and was unguarded. However, people climbed on it, sat on it, took pictures of each other standing on it and even had picnics on it so a day-time civilian guard was placed on duty in 1925 and a military guard replaced the civilians in 1926. The 24-hour military guard began in 1937.

Bodies of the unknown soldiers are not contained in the memorial itself, but rather in tombs. The tombs contain unidentified remains of soldiers from World War I, World War II, and Korea. There is an empty tomb where the unidentified remains of a soldier from Vietnam once laid. With the availability of more extensive records of combat action during Vietnam and due to the technical ability of identification through DNA, the previously unknown soldier was identified in 1998 as Air Force First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, who was killed in action when his plane was shot down in South Vietnam in 1972.

Each of the unidentified remains were awarded the Medal of Honor by the then sitting president of the United States. First lieutenant Blassie’s Medal of Honor had to be rescinded upon his identification. Upon removal of his body, a marker was placed on the now empty tomb which reads, “Honoring and Keeping Faith with America’s Missing Servicemen.”

The Third Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer has the responsibility for providing ceremonial units and honor guards for state occasions, White House social functions, public celebrations and interments at Arlington National Cemetery and standing the very formal sentry watch at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

A few interesting facts:

How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why? – 21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why? – 21 seconds, for the same reason as answer above.

Why are his 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? – No, 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 in the summer and every hour in the winter, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Other facts of the Guard:

A guard’s tour at the tomb is normally 1 year, but can be longer.

After extensive training, passing a special test, and 9 months of experience, the guard is given a Tomb Guard Identification badge that is worn over the right pocket of the uniform signifying they served as guard of the tomb. It is considered to be an honor of high prestige. There are only 525 presently worn.

Every guard (they call themselves “Sentinels”) spends approximately 6 – 8 hours every “off” day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty the next day. When a guard begins his shift, there can be no wrinkles, folds or lint on his uniform.

The Sentinels Creed:
My dedication to this sacred duty is total and wholehearted. In the responsibility bestowed on me never will I falter. And with dignity and perseverance my standard will remain perfection. Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability. It is he who commands the respect I protect. His bravery that made us so proud.
Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day, alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored glory rest under my eternal vigilance.

Most people think that when the Cemetery is closed to the public in the evening, the show stops. To the men who are dedicated to this work, it is not a show; it is a “charge of honor.” The formality and precision continues uninterrupted all night. During the nighttime, the drill of relief and the measured step of the on-duty sentry remain unchanged from the daylight hours. To these special men, the continuity of this post is the key to the honor and respect shown to these honored dead, symbolic of all unaccounted for American combat dead. The steady rhythmic step, in rain, sleet, snow, hail, heat, and cold must be uninterrupted. Uninterrupted is the important part of the honor shown.

And the story I wanted to tell you? Last year, hurricane Isabel roared through this area and did an incredible amount of damage – thousands of trees down, power outages, traffic signals out, roads filled with downed limbs and tons of debris everywhere. There was flooding and devastation throughout the area. At the height of the storm, the Regimental Commander of the U.S. Third Infantry sent word to the nighttime Sentry Detail to secure the post and seek shelter from the high winds to ensure their personal safety.

The men walking their post disobeyed his order. During winds that turned over vehicles and turned debris into projectiles, withstanding the stinging, pelting rain, the measured step continued. One of the soldiers later said “Guarding the Tomb is not just an assignment, it’s the highest honor that can be afforded a service person. Besides, I’ve got buddies getting shot at in Iraq who would kick my butt if word got to them that we let them down. I sure as hell have no intention of spending my Army career being known as the idiot who couldn’t stand a little breeze and shirked his duty.” Then, in response to a female reporter’s question regarding “silly, purposeless personal risk” he said, “I wouldn’t expect you to understand, ma’m,. It’s an enlisted man’s thing.”

The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1937.

Odd Paris, Texas

There are fifteen American municipalities named “Paris,” and most of them have erected an Eiffel Tower replica. Paris, Texas commemorated their Eiffel Tower in 1993. Coincidentally, Paris, Tennessee also commemorated theirs that same year. Unfortunately for them, their 60-ft tall tower had no bragging rights attached as the Texas Eiffel Tower came in at 65-ft tall. Not willing to just let it go, Tennessee soon replaced their tower with a 70-ft version and joyfully let the Texas clan know that despite Paris, Texas being the 2^nd largest Paris in the world as well as the inspiration for the title of the hit 1984 movie “Paris, Texas,” they now were the site of the 2^nd largest replica tower and therefore inferior to Paris, Tennessee.

No self-respecting Texan could not respond to such an affront, but boosters knew their rather small town could not afford to build a series of slightly bigger towers. So, being ever resourceful Texans, in 1998 they added a large red cowboy hat to the top of the tower. Placed on a pole on top of the tower, the hat added just enough height to officially be taller than the Tennessee entry. The hat, 4 ½-feet-tall and 10-feet wide, was then tilted to gain a few extra feet. With a friendly missive which basically said, “In your face!” Paris, Texas declared itself to be the location of the world’s tallest Eiffel Tower replica.

Any further one-upmanship was short-circuited the very next year when Las Vegas erected a 540-ft. tall Eiffel Tower Replica along the Strip. At half the height of the original (which is 984 ft. tall), this replica effectively put a stop to any future challenges. But Paris, Texas can still lay claim to being the location of the world’s only Eiffel Tower with a cowboy hat!

Fire-breathing dragon?

Paris is also home to the rather well-known, at least in Texas, Paris Junior College. While being respected for high-quality academics, the athletic accomplishments of the school have been rather successful with several national junior college championships in basketball and baseball. This success has come about in spite of what may be the absolute least-fearsome-depicted mascot in all the land –Pyro the Dragon. I know, dragons are usually thought to be fire-breathing monsters and therefore an excellent mascot that will no doubt instill fear in all unfortunate opponents. But Pyro? “Lovable doofus” comes to mind much more readily than a fire-breathing monster. Take a look and decide for yourself.

I visited Paris in early December, 2011, on an overcast, cold day with intermittent rain showers and a threatening storm. I found that unlike the bleak, dry, desert landscape depicted in the 1984 movie, the real Paris, Texas is located along the edge of the East Texas forest with gently rolling farm land far away from any desert. The town and the friendly people have a number of interesting items to see and things to do. A couple of days in one of the local B&B establishments with drives around town to see the sites and a good book to curl up with at night might be just what the doctor ordered if you need to unwind and take a break.

Enjoy the little things. One day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.

Jesus In Cowboy Boots

Evergreen Cemetery in Paris, Texas is the final resting place for over 40,000 souls. Founded by charter in 1866 by some of Paris’ most influential personalities, it was established in response to the growing needs of the growing city. The original cemetery was composed of only 16 acres and was sold to the cemetery association by George Wright for $320. When it was chartered, it had already had a history as a family cemetery, and since the original land sale, it has grown through grants and additional sales of land.

Today, Evergreen Cemetery is best known for the poignant headstones; the beautifully carved tributes to the loved and lost. They are emblems of history, art, and a window into the lives of those buried and their families. Among these markers are a variety of angels, both winged and not, young and old, each carved with a care and elegance that is increasingly rare in this modern world. There are also plants; leaves, ivies and broken trees. Perhaps these are a testament to the love of the natural world that someone once had. In addition, there are anchors and chains, a carved newspaper front page, a variety of sheep, and a resting buffalo.

Statue on the Babcock Family
 grave

With over 40,000 graves though, it’s the headstone of a small-town furniture maker which gets most of the attention. People come from near and far to see the grave they’ve heard about. Most don’t know the person buried there, they really just want to see what’s above him – Jesus in cowboy boots.

Jesus in cowboy boots?

Willet Babcock is the man in eternal rest beneath the boot-wearing Jesus. Willet was originally from New York and he owned two cabinet-making factories. He brought automation to his factories which helped Paris become the cabinet-making center of Texas in the 1870’s; he helped charter a railroad company; and he served on several boards of directors, including the Evergreen Cemetery.

However, few if any of the visitors know any of that. Actually, nobody really knows for sure if it really is Jesus up on the pedestal above Willet’s grave. Look closely and you might say he’s not as macho as most other depictions of Jesus. That same close inspection will also reveal Jesus is not carrying a cross, but is instead leaning on it. Some people think the figure is simply an angel leaning on a cross mourning over a grave. A local historian whose grandfather supposedly was friends with Willet is of the opinion that it is really a Shakespearian character up there as Willet was a big fan of the Bard, but he can’t say which character it is and besides, it’s highly doubtful any of them purchased their footwear from Sheplers.

Still other locals report Willet and his wife were atheists and the whole thing is just their tongue-in-cheek tweak-of-the-nose toward the ultra-religious conservatives in town. It is a long-held tradition, especially in the south, for people to be buried with their feet to the east. The east is the direction of Jerusalem, of the 2^ndcoming, and Archangel Gabriel’s horn will sound from that quarter. In order to be facing Christ when they rise from their graves on Judgment Day, the dead must lie with their feet to the east. A posthumous punishment given to those who have extraordinary sins (murder, suicide) is to bury them on a north-south axis so the poor soul will rise facing in the wrong direction. The Babcock’s is the only statue in the cemetery that does not face east. Also, carved into the pedestal base are inverted torches and anything upside down is a sure sign of godlessness. The boots are simply a kicker, the final act of blasphemy, sort of like putting a Stetson on Noah.

What do you think?

The superintendent of Evergreen Cemetery has his own theory however. He thinks Willet simply had a sense of humor about the whole thing and that’s why he set it up that way, so it would give everybody something to cogitate on. He postulates that had Willet died today, we would probably see the same statue up there wearing Nikes. Maybe he was, after all, just a pretty cool guy.