Righteousness

Duty, Honor, Country

Near the center of Arlington National Cemetery lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At this site are interred three of America’s unknown warriors, one each from World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Inscribed on the back of the white marble sarcophagus which lies over the grave of the Unknown Soldier of World War I are these humble words:

Here Rests In
Honored Glory
An American
Soldier
Known But To God

The Tomb of the Unknowns has been guarded continuously since July 1, 1937. Hand-picked, specially trained members of the 3rd United States Infantry (The Old Guard) have performed this duty since April 6, 1948. The five hundred men and women who have become Tomb Sentinels walk their honored post to the following unfaltering standard:

The Sentinel’s Creed
My dedication to this sacred duty
is total and whole-hearted.
In the responsibility bestowed on me
never will I falter.
And with dignity and perseverance
my standard will remain perfection.
Through the years of diligence and praise
and the discomfort of the elements,
I will walk my tour in humble reverence
to the best of my ability.
It is he who commands the respect I protect,
his bravery that made us so proud.
Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day,
alone in the thoughtful peace of night,
this soldier will in honored glory rest
under my eternal vigilance.

The Tomb of the Unknowns and the reverence all Americans have for it represent our undying belief in the righteousness of America’s wars. Should these soldiers’ honored glory ever be stained, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise up from their white crosses and cry out for swift retribution.

From Chapter 6 of No More Patriots
Copyright © 2015 by Howard T. Uhal
All Rights Reserved

[My copyright claim does not include The Sentinel's Creed, which I merely am quoting.]