Wonderful new paper Keith.. :) Hope I didn't mess it up too much.. LOL

Dr. Mike..

(still looking for the "right" computer)

>
> ARLINGTON CEMETERY -
>
> Jeopardy Question
>
> On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was " How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns " ---- All three missed it --
> This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the chance . Very fascinating.
> 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 moistenedprevent 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.
> 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 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:
> President Taft,
> Joe Lewis {the boxer}
> Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, the most
> decorated soldier of WWII of Hollywood fame.
> Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms 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 as signment, it was the highest honor that can be
> afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously,
> 24/7, since 1930.
>
> God Bless and keep them.
>
> =

MyOnlineTeam Daily Statistics for 12/01 - Active Members

Active team members report
==========================

                                                     Current          Points
Active member name            Rank      Change       Points        This Period
=========================     =====     ======     ===========     ===========
marysduby                         1          0      39,755,728          37,790
RT                                2          0      25,490,395          57,616
parmesian                         3          0      18,184,315          29,320
Coingames                         4          0      18,122,744          48,004
nl59056                           5          0      15,025,141             307
Dave Bell                         6          0      10,967,557          15,723
Esteban69                         7          0      10,937,081           3,990
keithhenry                        8          0       9,336,102          14,052
Blizzie                           9          0       7,906,536               0
Fanie                            10          0       6,745,064               0
Jonathan Figdor                  11          0       6,605,233          20,527
frans6nl                         12          0       5,735,748           5,335
brown chris                      13          0       5,456,342          11,898
PohSoon                          14          0       5,368,053           2,592
sulcata                          15          0       5,108,018           5,439
NiceMedTexMD                     16          0       4,613,339          33,714
Vuj                              17          0       4,051,447           5,936
Blueprint                        18          0       4,023,060           1,393
Alain Bryden                     19          0       2,570,879           2,318
Tomwp                            20          0       2,540,536           4,139
lawrencehardin                   21          0       2,299,372               0
wrr                              22          0       1,918,852           2,840
siseberg                         23          0       1,816,507               0
Wunderwuzzi                      24          0       1,687,513               0
kkelson                          25          0       1,662,798               0
Sunny L. Kae                     26          0       1,636,062           2,213
smcclarigan                      27          0       1,629,712           2,583
txjallen                         28          0       1,399,280           1,921
johng                            29          0       1,316,712           1,715
harry_i_c                        30          0         997,505           4,734
Airwolf_Liu                      31          0         912,938           3,508
laughing66607                    32          0         888,526           1,161
darth_vader                      33          0         831,058           2,395
Jockin                           34          0         763,893             427
elpe                             35          0         726,059           1,220
imin                             36          0         651,757           1,878
Bon Kuhlman                      37          0         564,668               0
Momentary Lapse of Reason        38          0         329,276               0
madambaster                      39          0         235,478             431
WindmillMan76043                 40          0         234,126               0
Natalino                         41          0         228,173           1,111
cknotty                          42          0         180,185               0
TheRoket                         43          0          80,727             527

Note: Active members are those who earned points in the prior 30 days.

Top Twenty active members returning points today:
01: RT - 57,616 points
02: Coingames - 48,004 points
03: marysduby - 37,790 points
04: NiceMedTexMD - 33,714 points
05: parmesian - 29,320 points
06: Jonathan Figdor - 20,527 points
07: Dave Bell - 15,723 points
08: keithhenry - 14,052 points
09: brown chris - 11,898 points
10: Vuj - 5,936 points
11: sulcata - 5,439 points
12: frans6nl - 5,335 points
13: harry_i_c - 4,734 points
14: Tomwp - 4,139 points
15: Esteban69 - 3,990 points
16: Airwolf_Liu - 3,508 points
17: wrr - 2,840 points
18: PohSoon - 2,592 points
19: smcclarigan - 2,583 points
20: darth_vader - 2,395 points

Total points returned today: 328,757
Active members returning points today: 33
Average points per member active today: 9,962.33333

Gerald, I've been to Arlington Cemetery and witnessed the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb three times in my life. You don't forget it. When I was there in 2008, there was a large contingent of veterans there to witness the ceremony as well. So many were stooped over, slow to get around or confined to wheelchairs (fyi - we're losing over 1200 of our WWII veterans each and every day). When the ceremony starts, everyone stands for the duration. It may have taken them a bit longer but every veteran that can stand stands, a bit taller than usual as well. Those confined to wheelchairs "stand tall" too even though seated. After the ceremony, this particular group of veterans remained to lay a wreath at the Tomb. I stayed for that ceremony as well. At the end of it, one of the Guards played Taps. Hearing Taps at the Tomb is unlike hearing Taps anywhere else. It sounded so mournful to me. It is the place. As we walked on our way in thru the cemetery to the Tomb, I explained to my then five year old daughter just what Arlington was, what each of the white headstones meant. It's something to see a child realize and understand it. I hope she never forgets. When you've visited Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb, you find it so much easier to stop a veteran just to say thank you.

For those who want more details about Arlington Cemetery, the Tomb and the ceremonies, see http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org - that's the official website.