Watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

“I was 8 years old when I first saw the tomb. Dad was so excited because we were five minutes early to the changing of the guard. We rushed up and before I realized it, there was the tomb guard making his walk across the mat. I was stunned and confused. Then the bells started tolling and then I watched a whole guard change ceremony. This was 1995 and I still remember watching in awe of what this was. Even as a kid, not understanding the importance of a national cemetery, I knee this was something special. To experience something that profound I still remember it to this day. There is no changing of the guard anywhere on this planet that is as somber, precise or special as the Tomb guard.”

“We made it just in time. Somewhere, a clock tower chimed one and the crowd instantly hushed. Off to the side, two ornately uniformed soldiers began positioning themselves. Everything about the changing of the guard was tightly scripted. The number of steps taken, the spoken commands, the clicking of the metal heels together, the positioning of the rifles, even the direction of the guard’s gaze at any moment in time. The mood was somber, the task at hand, guarding the tomb day and night 365 days a year, unbroken since 1937.”