Missing In Action
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Foundation John Hamre, Neale Cosby, Richard Azzaro, and Mick Kicklighter Dear Colleagues, This article is being forwarded to capture the work of Joe Neubeiser, Joe Griffies, and Richard Azzaro. This article was inspired by a woman who assisted us in finding the grave of Chaplain Father Duff, who escorted the remains of the World War I Unknown from France in 1921. How we met her kind and generous assistance would in itself justify our telling you about her. But there...
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December 26, 2020 - Centennial Tidbit #12 and #13 (TUSAB) Released
Posted December 26, 2020 in CentennialPlease see the press release on the release of new Centennial Tidbits. View press release here: December 26, 2020 - Centennial Tidbit #12 and #13 (TUSAB) Released...
November 20, 2020 – Centennial Tidbit #10 (USS Olympia) & #11 (National Salute from Oregon) Released
Posted November 20, 2020 in CentennialPlease see the press release on the release of new Centennial Tidbits. View press release here: November 20, 2020 – Centennial Tidbit #10 (USS Olympia) & #11 (National Salute from Oregon) Released...
November 12, 2020 – Centennial Tidbit #7 (DAR), #8 (USS Olympia Marines Part 1), #9 (Olympia Marines Part2) Released
Posted November 12, 2020 in CentennialPlease see the press release on the release of new Centennial Tidbits. View press release here: November 12, 2020 – Centennial Tidbit #7 (DAR), #8 (USS Olympia Marines Part 1), #9 (Olympia Marines...
November 11, 2020 – French Embassy send message for Veterans Day
Posted November 11, 2020 in CentennialNovember 11, 2020 – French Embassy sends a message for Veterans Day The French Embassy in Washington DC has helped the Society dive into the history behind the medals presented in October and...
November 5, 2020 – TAPS FOR VETERANS joins the National Salute
Posted November 5, 2020 in CentennialPlease see the press release on the Veterans for Taps joining TUS100 efforts. View press release here: November 5, 2020 – TAPS FOR VETERANS joins the National Salute...
November 1, 2020 – Centennial Tidbit #4 (American Rose Garden), #5 (Maryhill Museum), and #6 (St. Paul’s) Released
Posted November 1, 2020 in CentennialPlease see the press release on the release of new Centennial Tidbits. View press release here: November 1, 2020 – Centennial Tidbit #4 (American Rose Garden), #5 (Maryhill Museum), and #6 (St....
October 2020 – Bells of Peace Phone Application
Posted October 27, 2020 in CentennialVeterans Day and the National Salute are just around the corner. The United States Foundation for the Commemoration of the World Wars (formerly the World War I Centennial Commission) partnered with...
October 2020 – National Salute Events
Posted October 22, 2020 in CentennialWe are getting word from all corners of the United States about different National Salute events being created in your communities. With the local and national restrictions of COVID some people are...
Centennial Tidbit #3 Released
Posted October 15, 2020 in CentennialA “spotlight” video interview in our Centennial Tidbit series has been released and we want to thank Jerry Frazier and the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for taking the time to show us their Never...
The Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Turns 20
Posted November 1, 2019 in Society SpotlightSociety of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 1999 We formed a Society that provided the infrastructure needed for Tomb Guards, past and present, to continue serving the mission as...
Book Review: The Unknowns by Patrick K. O'Donnell
Posted April 14, 2018 in Special ReportI was recently sent an advanced reading copy of The Unknowns by the editor and was also asked to write up a review for the Society website. The Unknowns will be released on May 22, 2018. Advanced...
From the President
Posted July 7, 2017 in Society Spotlightby Gavin McILvenna (1997-98), SHGTUS President It been six months since I became the President, and it’s been even faster paced that I imagined it would be. I set many goals for 2017 back in January...
The Society has lost its champion, I have lost my best friend...
Posted July 7, 2017 in Society Spotlightby Richard Azzaro (1963-65)"With heavy heart, I want to let you know that we lost a good soldier last night. He fought hard to the end.” With these words, a dutiful and loving son announced the...
Paying Our Respects...
Posted July 6, 2017On January 18, the Society took time to remember Congressman Hamilton Fish III who passed away on this date in 1991. Congressman Fish III was a veteran of World War I (Captain, 369th U.S. Infantry...
Fifteen years ago today...
Posted September 11, 2016A short note on this 15th anniversary of September 11th. We often get questions about the Tomb Guard and what happened on that day fifteen years ago. I emailed the Sentinel who was posted that day...
The Newest Tomb Guards
Posted April 15, 2016The two newest Tomb Guard Identification Badges (TGIB) were earned after a lot of hard work. Private First Class Noah McKee earned TGIB #640, and became a SHGTUS Member. Sergeant Kevin Calderon...
Training the Honor Guard
Posted April 13, 2016 in Society Spotlightby Benjamin Bell, (2001-2004) In January, SHGTUS received a request to train the Tampa, Florida based Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) Honor Guard. Back in 2012, several of the officers...
The path from straight and narrow to Broken Arrow
Posted March 31, 2016 in Society SpotlightThis quarter we are highlighting one of our members businesses, Broken Arrow Emergency Systems, which was founded by Eric Delaune (1997-2000). The company is located in Lafayette, Louisiana and...
Support the Society
The Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (SHGTUS) is able to provide our programs, events, assistance, scholarships, and services due to the generosity of its members, organizations, and individuals. SHGTUS does not receive institutional funding. Note: The Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your contributions may be fully tax deductible.
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Did you know?
How many Sentinels have been female?
There have been over 700 tomb guards awarded the badge since 1958 when we started counting. There are hundreds more from the year 1926 when the Army started guarding the Tomb. The 3rd US Infantry (The Old Guard) is the unit that has been given the duty of guarding the Tomb. It was given this sacred duty in 1948. The Old Guard was -- and still is -- considered a combat unit. As an Infantry unit, females were not permitted in the ranks for many years. It wasn't until 1994 that females were permitted to volunteer to become a Sentinel when the 289th Military Police Company was attached to the Old Guard. The MP branch is a combat support unit and includes females.
In 1996, SGT Heather Johnsen became the first female to earn the Tomb Guard Identification Badge. She volunteered for duty in June 1995 and earned her badge in 1996. However, SGT Johnson was not the only female Sentinel. Since then, there have been a total of eight female Sentinels awarded the Tomb Guard Identification Badge:
SGT Danyell Wilson earned her badge in 1997SSG Tonya Bell received hers in 1998
SGT Ruth Hanks earned her badge in June 2015
SFC Chelsea Porterfield earned her badge in 2021
SGT Kamille Torres earned her badge in 2022
SPC Jessica Kwiatkowski earned her badge in 2023
SGT Kaylee Johnston earned her badge in 2024
Several other units have since been attached to the Old Guard -- food service, transportation, medics, etc. -- so now females have an ever-greater opportunity to become a Sentinel. Females must meet the same requirements as the male soldiers to be eligible to volunteer at the Tomb. the only difference is that females have a minimum height of 5'8" -- which is the same standard to be a member of the Old Guard.
