The Tomb Guard

Thomas Ferrante

Tomb Position

Sentinel

Tomb Relief

Highest Military Rank

Corporal

Tomb Dates

Nov 1953 - Nov 1954

Society Membership

Member

Obituary

Thomas Ferrante, 78, of Orlando, FL passed away at his home on March 25, 2013. He was born in Danville, PA, the oldest of 11 children to Margaret Landau Ferrante, who was born in 1914 in Danville, PA and father, Thomas Ferrante, who was born in 1911 in Philadelphia, PA. He served in the Army's Third Infantry Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknowns from Sept. 9, 1953 to Sept. 8, 1955. He graduated from Drexel Institute of Technology with an engineering degree in 1960. He received his MBA from Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, FL. Tom worked as a salesman for Corning Glass, ran a donut shop and a bike shop and drove a dune buggy to work every day at ITT in West Palm. He founded EIR, a semiconductor company in the mid 1970's and took over the distribution arm, of Intertec in 1980 and grew the company to win Inc. 500, the 500 fastest growing companies in the US in 1984, 85 and 86 which is unheard of for one company to win this 3 years in a row. His son joined him at Intertec in 1985 and left in 1991. Tom closed Intertec in 1993 and retired in 1997 when he took up writing a health newsletter, poetry and a book on heart disease. He assisted his wife in opening and operating Herbs N' More, health supplement store. Tom considered it his job to make people laugh and smile.

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Units & Campaigns

3d United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)

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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:

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.