Fifteen years ago today...
9 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?
Are the shoes specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet?
The shoes are standard issue military dress shoes. They are built up so the sole and heel are equal in height. This allows the Sentinel to stand with a straight back and perpendicular to the ground. A side effect of this is that the Sentinel can "roll" on the outside of the build up walking down the mat. Done correctly, the hat and bayonet will appear to not "bob" up and down with each step. It gives a more formal, fluid and smooth look to the walk, rather than a "marching" appearance.
The soles have a steel tip on the toe and a "horseshoe" steel plate on the heel. This prevents wear on the sole and allows the Sentinel to move smoothly during his movements when he turns to face the Tomb and then back down the mat.
Then there is the "clicker". It is a shank of steel attached to the inside of the face of the heel build-up on each shoe. It allows the Sentinel to heel click during certain movements. A guard change is considered great when all the heel clicks fall together and sound as one click. The guard change is occasionally done in the "silent" mode (as a sign of devotion to the Unknowns) with no voice commands - every thing is done in relation to the heel clicks and on specific counts.
