Centennial Tidbit Spotlight - "Why is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier important?"
1 year ago

The Centennial Committee recently asked a question about "Why is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier important?" Not only to the individual, but to what it means to our nation.
In this video we share the thoughts of Senator Jerry Moran (KS) who is the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. You can view the video here: https://youtu.be/DXDVNJ34mIU
We have received a few recorded videos from a diverse background of Americans, and we will be publishing them on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU8kLEQcWIjiWqOS0XLENTw
If you would like to send in a video to be used, please email them to publicaffairs@tombguard.org so your voice can be heard.
Answer the question(s):
"Why is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier important to you?"
"Why is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier important to our nation?"
We look forward to sharing your thoughts and memories.
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Did you know?
Has anyone ever tried to get past the Tomb guards, or attempted to deface the Tomb?
Yes, that is the reason why we now guard the Tomb. Back in the early 1920's, we didn't have guards and the Tomb looked much different. It was flat at ground level without the 70 ton marble 'cap'. People often came to the cemetery in those days and a few actually used the Tomb as a picnic area, likely because of the view. Soon after in 1925, they posted a civilian guard. In 1926, a US Army soldier was posted during cemetery hours. On July 1, 1937 guard duty was expanded to the 24 hour watch. Since then, the ceremony has evolved throughout the years to what you see today. Today, most of the challenges faced by the Sentinels are tourists who are speaking too loudly or attempting to get a better picture (by entering the post).