Friday, March 30, 2007

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Tomb of the Unkown Soldier.

Post 178 - - - - - - Thursday, 29 th March, 2007.

Hello My Friends ~~ I hope you are having a great day or evening, whatever!!
I have had a nice quiet day, made a few meals again. Beef casserole and lots of
vegies. You can probably guess by that choice of meal, it has got cooler here and
casseroles are back on the menu. Haven't made dumplings yet. The temperature
has been about 20 C to 25 C, which is about 68 F to 7 6 F. Very pleasant.

Melbourne is playing host to International Swimming Championships this week
and America are heading the Gold medal tallies with Australia coming in next.
The Americans are doing so well and have some great swimmers. Michael Phelps
has broken several world records as has a girl named Natalie -- forget last name.
They also won back the Gold medal for the girl's relay, from Germany tonight.

Tonight's story was sent to me by my friend, Linda which I found very nice.

This is very special , and I did not know much about The Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier. The information is fascinating and humbling and worth reading.

On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was - How many steps does the
guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknown Soldier - - - All three
missed it. It is an awesome sight to watch.

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the
Unknowns and why. 21 Steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and
why? 21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1.

3. Why are his gloves wet? His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his
grip on the rifle.

4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time, and if not, why not?
He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march
across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside
shoulder.

5. How often are the guards changed ? Guards are changed every thirty minutes,
twenty- four hours a day, 365 days a year.

6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to ? For a person to apply
for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and
his waist size cannot exceed 30" Other requirements of the Guard: They must
commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb,
and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They
cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the
uniform (fighting) or the tomb in any way.

After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard
must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin. The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet.

There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the
loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform.
Guards dress for duty in front of a full length mirror. The first six months of duty
a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV.

All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington
National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are : Presdent Taft, Joe E. Lewis (the boxer) and
Medal of Honor winner, Audie Murphy, (the most decorated soldier of W.W. 2)
of Hollywood fame. Every guard takes five hours a day getting his uniform ready
for guard duty.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT
SHINE UPON THEM.

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington DC, our US Senate/
House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news,
it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military
members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment.

They respectfully declined the offer. "No way, Sir !" Soaked to the skin, marching
in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a service person.

The Tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930. God Bless and keep
them. We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter
where they serve. IN GOD WE TRUST, and Look Over all your service Men and
Women Serving our Great Southern Nation on so many front s- -.
<><><>

Gallagher opened the morning newspaper and was dumbfounded to read in
the obituary column that he had died. He quickly phoned his best friend, Finney.

"Did you see the paper?" asked Gallagher.

"Yes, I saw it !" replied Finney. "Where are you calling from ?"
<><><>

A couple was celebating their golden wedding anniversary. Their domestic
tranquility had long been the talk of the town, and on this special occasion, a
local reporter paid them a visit. He inquired about the secret of their long and
happy marriage.

"Well," explained the husband, "It all goes back to our honeymoon. We visited
the Grand Canyon and took a trip down to the bottom of the canyon by pack
mule."

"We hadn't gone too far when my wife's mule stumbled. My wife quietly said,
' That's once. ' We proceeded a little further when the mule stumbled again.
Once more my wife quietly spoke: 'that's twice' We hadn't gone a half-mile when
the mule stumbled a third time. My wife promptly removed a revolver from her
purse, hopped down off the beast, and shot the mule dead."

"I started to protest over her treatment of the mule when she looked at me and
quietly said 'That's once. ' "
<><><>

The bride said she wanted three children, while te hsband thought two would
be enugh for him.

he discussed this descrepancy for a few minutes until the husband thought he'd
put an end to things by saying boldly, " After our second child, I'll just have a
vasectomy."

Without a moment's hesitation, the bride retorted, " Well, I hope you'll love the
third one just as if it's your own."
<><><>

Women's Vocabulary - - - -

FINE --This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are
right and you need to shut up. Never use "fine' to describe how a woman looks --
this will cause you to have one of those arguments.

FIVE MINUTES --This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that
your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so it's an even
trade.

NOTHING -- This means "something" and you should be on yor toes. "Nothing"
is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside
out, upside down, and backwards. "Nothing" usually signifiess an argument that
will last "Five Minutes" and end with "Fine."

GO AHEAD -- (With raised eyebrows.) This is a dare. One that will result in a
woman getting upset over "Nothing" and will end with the word "Fine."


GO AHEAD -- (Normal Eyebrows) This means "I give up" or "Do what you
want because I don't care. You will get a "Raided Eyebrow Go Ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by "Nothing" and "Fine" and she will talk to you in about
"Five Minutes" when she cools off.

LOUD SIGH - - This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often
misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at
that moment, and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing
with you over "Nothing."

SOFT SIGH -- Again, not a word, but a non-verbal statement. "Soft Sighs" mean
that she is content. Your best bet is not to move or breathe, and she will stay
content.

THAT'S OKAY -- This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman
can make to a man.. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard
before paying you back for whatever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is
often used with the word "Fine" and in conjunction with a "Raised Eyebrow."

PLEASE DO --- This is not a statement, it is a offer. A woman giving you the
chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever
you have done. You have a fair chance with the truth, so be careful and you
shouldn't get a "That's Okay".

THANKS --A woman is thanking you. Do not faint. Just say, "You're welcome."

THANKS A LOT -- This is much different than :Thanks". A woman will say
"Thanks a lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have
offended her in some callous way, and will be followed by the "Loud Sigh"
Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the "Loud Sigh" as she will only tell
you "Nothing."
<><><>
Have to get off to bed, as my eyes wat to close. Take care everyone, Love,Merle.

Post 178 - - - - - - Thursday, 29 th March, 2007.

13 comments:

Mountain Mama said...

Hi Merle. The story about the Tomb of the unknown soldier is very touching. such dedication is awesome.
The story about the Bride wanting three children and the groom wanting two is hillarious!
I always get a kick out of our time differences, and imagining you on the opposite side of the earth from me. Now that's something else that's awesome!
Blessings

Val said...

Merle, I never knew that stuff about the soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Very inspiring.

Raggedy said...

G'Day Merle,
I am pleased to hear that Peter is recovering from his surgery and is good hands in posts 176 and 177.
I am glad to hear you are having some nice weather and the casseroles sound yummy.
Rain from Nowhere was great! I am not sure about that friendship one from Wazza..lol
The one liners in 177 were fantastic!
I enjoyed all three posts!
Thank you for sharing them with us.
Take care,
Huggles and Love,
Raggedy

Anonymous said...

Dear Merle,
So glad you stopped by today. Thank you for your comments. I am always so happy to see you.

I have been to the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier. I was overwhelmed and to see the guards just gave me goosebumps. Thanks for sharing all those details.

Take good care of yourself and all the best to you my friend.

Hugs,
Connie

Peter said...

Hi Merle, there are some pretty tough rules for the guards of the tomb of the unknown soldier to live up to!!!
The eye keeps improving, it weep like crazy in the light etc. but pretty much pain free now, Jackie had her knee replacement surgery yesterday, Ken said she had some pain but the operation was a success.

Gattina said...

What a pleasure that you "popped" in ! Pop whenever you like ! As maybe you noticed I have been busy with my template changes I finally found out how to do it (all by myself) and then of course it itched in my fingers to change all 4 blogs ! It's just like spring cleaning, lol ! Over here spring starts and it's getting a little warmer we already had 16° which is quite unusual for march. I don't care, for me it could be 20 - 25° the whole year, I hate winters.
Today we had good news, the Director of the retirement home here in Waterloo asked my husband if he could come 3 or 4 times per week to explain a computer and how it works to elder people, apparently there are quite a lot who still want to learn which is very nice. Of course he said yes and now he is happy because his retirement got him on the nerves he was bored all the time. Now he will have to do something. Of course for no money it's just to help out. So both sides are happy !

audrey` said...

Hi Merle
"Women's Vocabulary" is so revealing and yet confusing to the men =)
HaHa!

Jeanette said...

Dear Merle, Ive also been watching the swimming and tonight the football. I also made a beef casserole for my dinner and enough over to freeze for another couple meals. Humbling imformation on the Unknown Soldier.
The bride and the 3rd child. hahaha. Take care have a great weekend. Jan

Susie said...

Good morning Merle,
Thank you for posting all these interesting facts about the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I find their dedication amazing..
Your vasectomy joke had both of us laughing out loud!
hugs!!

JunieRose2005 said...

Hi Merle,

....trying to get caught up with my blog reading!

As always, enjoyed yours.

June

Carole Burant said...

Hello dear Merle:-)

I'm sure you're enjoying the cooler temps nowadays, it has to feel pleasant compared to the high heat you were having before! It was a beautiful day here today, such a shame I was mostly stuck inside doing laundry, housework and packing! lol

Of course I had heard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier but I had no idea what those guards had to go through! I'm wondering why such severe rules...I realize it's an honour but geez! Loved all the other jokes too:-)

Have a wonderful weekend my friend, I'm off to the Sugar Bush:-) xox

Leann said...

as always some very good jokes.LOL.
glad you having nice weather.we are having rain for next 4 days.its our april showers bring may flowers.
and thats fine with me.
have a great weekend.
God bless.

Margaret said...

Dear Merle it was very interesting to learn about the guarding of the unknown soldiers tomb. Your jokes hit the mark as usual. Love Margaret