Fifteen years ago today...
5 years ago

A 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 and asked him what he remembered and this is his response.
"When the plane flew over we were in the middle and the guards were passing on their orders. After it hit the Pentagon is when we turned to salute the Tomb. The smoke rising from the Pentagon was a big mushroom cloud. I continued on with the change without missing a beat. When the plane was flying over, [I] didn't know if it was a fly over for Air Force funeral until it hit the Pentagon. Then after I came down from the changing the guard I let [you] guys know that the Pentagon just got hit."
Never Forget.
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Did you know?
Is the rifle that the Sentinel carries loaded?
Tomb Guards carry fully functional M14 rifles. Given the current climate surrounding the relatively recent tragic events in Canada (attack upon the guard at the Canadian War Memorial), we will no longer be answering questions relating to specifics regarding current security and armament at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We appreciate your understanding.
Rest assured, that the US Army has the post secured as it has been since we started guard duty at the shrine in 1926.