tomb of the unknown soldier

wwkii · Nov 1, 2011

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i just thought i would share this with all my like minding veterans out there US ARMY 93-96 2nd id 1-506 inf scouts out.. i hope someday to go be able to see this and pay my respect.. its hard for me to listen to the national anthem without tears in my eyes... i cant even fathom laughing and joking at the tomb of the unknown soldier..

MarkAd · Nov 2, 2011

I went to the tomb when I was 13. To me the whole of Arlington is a very somber place. Everyone of those white crosses deserves the dignity that should be shown at the tomb.

orygun · Nov 2, 2011

I've never been to Arlington, but I have been to the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. It was the most amazing and somber place I have been in my life. There was a feeling that came over me as we departed the boat that took us over. It was definitely hallowed "ground". Why anyone thinks it would be appropriate to joke at either place escapes me.

What an honor it must be to guard that tomb.

MarkAd · Nov 2, 2011

I have been to the Arizona, in fact, for a relistment.

As I stood looking the the forward gun mount I could see the tears raising up from the ship. Never has ny heart been so sadden or so proud as it was at that moment to realise I was standing on the grave of hundreds of brave men and my tears mixed with thiers, the tears of my brothers.
May God grant you fair winds and followling seas until the sea gives up her dead.

ejmpnu92 · Nov 2, 2011

I have been to Arlington. It was an experience. Watched the changing of the guard. I took pictures of the whole thing and something interesting happened. At the beginning, the squad leader(don't know the exact term for him) turned to the crowd, explained what was going to happen, then said everyone must remain standing and be quiet. During the course of the guard change, a tourist, much like me, taking a multitude of pics, knelt down for a certain camera angle.. The squad leader stopped ceremony and reminded everyone of the request to remain standing. He said it a second time, looking right at the guy. Then a third time. By the 4th time, the guys wife caught a clue and leaned over and told him to stand up. When the guy stood up, the squad leader continued on with the guard change. Don't get me wrong, the two guards, the one coming off duty and the one going on, never once stopped or hesitated, they just kept going and going. But in my pictures (I was standing behind the guy who crouched down) you can see where the guy was down, then up. Something I will always remember.

CharonPDX · Nov 2, 2011

Visited the Tomb of the Unknown while I was in college in ROTC. Very haunting experience. I'm not a massively emotional person (my brother-in-law says you could distill valium from my blood, and my wife calls me "Eeyore",) but there are certain things that always bring a tear to my eyes. Visiting the Tomb of the Unknowns was one. (The others are the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Amazing Grace, and Taps when performed slowly - as a memorial, for example, not the standard "end of day" playing.) It was that visit to Arlington that I discovered that my grandmother was not only in the military, but a Marine Corps drill instructor, and the highest-ranking of my three military-service grandparents. (She was an E-4, her husband was an "aviation cadet" when the war ended, and held no official rank, my other grandfather was an E-3 in the Navy.)

Riot · Nov 2, 2011

I think people lost respect a long time ago...

Lazyfaire · Jul 9, 2017

orygun said:
I've never been to Arlington, but I have been to the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. It was the most amazing and somber place I have been in my life. There was a feeling that came over me as we departed the boat that took us over. It was definitely hallowed "ground". Why anyone thinks it would be appropriate to joke at either place escapes me.

What an honor it must be to guard that tomb.

I have been several times since I was about 10 years old. It is a fascinating place of history with stories all its own, including how and when it even became a place of rest. It is a beautiful place and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ceremony is worth the trip.