For one sentinel, a final walk at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
For the last two years, Army Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Jay has been dutifully guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Rain or shine, snow or sleet, for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Jay and the other guards on watch duty serve as both protectors and commemorators of a national tribute to America's unidentified and missing service members.
With Jay's final walk scheduled for June 2, this Memorial Day will hold special significance for him as the cemetery prepares for a string of events honoring those who paid the ultimate price for their country.
'It's meant a lot,' Jay, 38, told The Associated Press. 'I'm going to try to make sure it doesn't define me, but it was definitely a defining moment in my career.'
Jay, who is from Indianapolis, volunteered for the position after serving in the Tennessee-based 101st Airborne Division, which specializes in air assault operations and is known for its record in World War II. He trained for almost 18 months for the guard duty.
'The training is unlike anything I've ever done in my career so far,' he said. 'It's more than the physical aspect of any other Army school you might think of.'
The guards, also known as sentinels for their watchful duty, train even on their off-days, walking on the mat for two hours straight to build up muscular endurance.
But that isn't the only endurance required of the sentinels.
'It's a lot of mental ability,' Jay said. 'You have to be locked in for a nine-minute guard change, but then also your 30-minute walk. So, what you're thinking about kind of varies between soldier to soldier.'
The sentinels spend half an hour walking the mat in the colder months and an hour during warmer months. They perform a dramatic changing of the guard at the grave site that visitors to the Washington area flock to see, marching 21 steps down the mat, turning and facing east for 21 seconds, then north for 21 seconds and then back down the mat for 21 more, repeating the process.
The number refers to the high military honor of the 21-gun salute, which can be heard booming throughout the cemetery and surrounding areas during military funerals on the grounds.
There are currently three unidentified U.S. service members buried in the tomb: one from World War I, one from World War II and one from the Korean War.
With Memorial Day approaching, the cemetery — which is run by the U.S. Army and has 3 to 4 million visitors annually — will hold a number of events to honor fallen service members. Just before Memorial Day weekend, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment places American flags at the grave sites of more than 260,000 service members buried at the cemetery — an event known as 'Flags In.'
On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the public is invited to leave flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for Flowers of Remembrance Day.
'Memorial Day still retains the purpose that it had back in 1868 during that first official observance here in Arlington,' said Allison Finkelstein, the senior historian of Arlington National Cemetery. 'It is the day to remember and honor our war dead.'
There have been 733 tomb guards since 1958. On average, seven to nine tomb guards work every day.
'The honor of guarding them isn't just about the Three Unknowns, it's about everybody that lays here in the cemetery and what they gave in the pursuit of freedom,' Jay said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
22 crew members rescued from lifeboat in North Pacific after ship carrying 3,000 cars catches fire
The crew of a cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles to Mexico, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned ship after they could not control a fire aboard the vessel in waters off Alaska's Aleutian island chain. A large plume of smoke was initially seen at the ship's stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles Tuesday, according to US Coast Guard photos and a Wednesday statement from the ship's management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime. There were no reported injuries among the 22 crew members of the Morning Midas. Crew members abandoned ship, were evacuated onto a lifeboat and rescued by the crew of a nearby merchant vessel called the Cosco Hellas in the North Pacific, roughly 300 miles (490 kilometers) southwest of Adak Island. Adak is about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) west of Anchorage, the state's largest city. The crew initiated emergency firefighting procedures with the ship's onboard fire suppression system. But they were unable bring the flames under control. 'The relevant authorities have been notified, and we are working closely with emergency responders with a tug being deployed to support salvage and firefighting operations,' Zodiac Maritime said in a statement. 'Our priorities are to ensure the continued safety of the crew and protect the marine environment.' The US Coast Guard said it sent aircrews to Adak and a ship to the area. The status of the fire onboard the ship was unknown as of Wednesday afternoon, but smoke was still emanating from it, according to the Coast Guard. Rear Admiral Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard's Seventeenth District, said in a statement that as the search and rescue part of the response concluded, the Coast Guard was working with Zodiac Maritime to determine how to recover the ship and what will be done with it. 'We are grateful for the selfless actions of the three nearby vessels who assisted in the response and the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas, who helped save 22 lives,' Dean said. The 600-foot (183-meter) Morning Midas, a car and truck carrier, was built in 2006 and sails under a Liberian flag. The cars left Yantai, China, on May 26, according to the industry site They were being shipped to Lazaro Cardenas, a major Pacific port in Mexico. Earlier this month, a Dutch safety board called for improving emergency response on North Sea shipping routes after a deadly 2023 fire on a freighter that was carrying 3,000 automobiles, including nearly 500 electric vehicles, from Germany to Singapore. That fire killed one person, injured others and burned out of control for a week, and the ship was eventually towed to a port in the northern Netherlands for salvage. The accident increased the focus on safety issues on the open sea and on containers that fall off the massive freighters, which have increased in size dramatically in recent decades. More than 80% of international trade by volume now arrives by sea, and the largest container vessels are longer than three football fields.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Where is Trump's military parade taking place? See route, map
President Donald Trump is getting the military parade he's long wanted this year, as the U.S. Army plans to mark its 250th anniversary with a pomp-filled procession through the streets of the nation's capital, a date coinciding with the president's birthday. "The event is designed not only to showcase the Army's modern capabilities but also to inspire a new generation to embrace the spirit of service, resilience, and leadership that defines the United States," according to a May 21 statement on event organizer's website. "The parade will trace the Army's evolution from the Revolutionary War through to the U.S. Army of Tomorrow." Here's what to know about the parade's route and when it takes place. The military parade is slated for Saturday, June 14, in the heart of Washington, D.C., spanning six blocks and bisecting the National Mall. Celebrations and associated events are set to take place throughout the day, starting with a fitness competition at 9:30 a.m. ET, and an assortment of military demonstrations, equipment displays and live music performances throughout the day. Visitors can expect kid zones, more than 50 vendor and experience booths, and meet-and-greats with "Army soldiers, NFL players, influencers and celebrities," according to the U.S. Army event page. Army, Trump love a $40M parade. But nothing is planned for Navy, Marines. On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted to establish the Continental Army, organizers say, marking the creation of America's first national military force more than a year before the Declaration of Independence. Trump, US Army throwing military parade: How to get tickets The parade will take place along Constitution Avenue NW, starting at 15th Street alongside the National Mall, near the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The procession will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, cutting through the mall between the Washington Monument and German-American Friendship Garden on one side and the long grassy expanse of President's Park in front of the White House on the other. The parade will cross in front of Trump's viewing stand on Constitution Avenue south of the White House at about 6 p.m. It will continue in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial, passing by Constitution Gardens and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial before ending at 7:30 p.m. ET on Constitution Avenue NW and 23rd Street. A concert at the Ellipse is scheduled to start when the parade ends, and Army officials say a firework display will begin at 9:45 p.m. ET. Contributing: George Petras and Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump military parade route; See map of June 14 festivities
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Nuclear Arms Race Warning as Warheads Increase
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The number of nuclear warheads ready for use by nine countries has slightly increased from last year, reaching over 9,600 warheads, according to an estimate by a Japanese think tank. Russia, the United States and China remain the world's three largest countries in terms of the size of their nuclear arsenals. Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Department of Defense, the Chinese Defense Ministry and the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email. Why It Matters The estimated number of nuclear warheads came from the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at Nagasaki University. Nagasaki was the second city in the world—after Hiroshima—to come under a nuclear attack when the U.S. detonated an atomic bomb there on August 9, 1945, prompting Japan's surrender and officially ending World War II. This year marks 80 years since the first use of a nuclear weapon in human history. While there has been no use of this type of weapon of mass destruction against another country since the war, two nuclear rivals in South Asia—India and Pakistan—exchanged large-scale fire last month, while other nuclear-armed countries continue to modernize their arsenals. This photo shows the radioactive plume from the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in Japan on August 9, 1945. This photo shows the radioactive plume from the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in Japan on August 9, 1945. Hiromichi Matsuda/Handout from Nagasaki AtomicIn addition to the aforementioned five countries, France, the United Kingdom, Israel—which are U.S. allies—and North Korea are confirmed or believed to possess nuclear weapons. What To Know The Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition announced its estimate on Wednesday, saying the number of deployable nuclear warheads—those ready for immediate use or stored for potential deployment—had increased by 32 from last year, reaching 9,615. With regard to the three largest deployable nuclear arsenals, Russia had 4,310 warheads, a decrease of 0.8 percent from 2018, while the U.S. possessed 3,700, a decrease of 2.6 percent. In contrast, China's arsenal increased by 150 percent, reaching 600 warheads. Among all the nuclear powers, China has seen the most significant increase in its number of warheads, adding 360 to its arsenal. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the country to accelerate the buildup of nuclear forces, even as Beijing called on Russia and the U.S. to pursue nuclear disarmament. Meanwhile, North Korea—which tested nuclear weapons between 2006 and 2017—has seen the highest percentage increase in its number of warheads, rising by 233 percent. However, with 50 warheads, the Northeast Asian nation possesses the world's smallest nuclear arsenal. According to the Japanese think tank, the number of deployable nuclear warheads worldwide has been trending upward since 2018. The most recent estimate, as of this month, shows an increase of 364 nuclear warheads—designed for operational use—in just under a decade. By including non-deployable nuclear warheads—those retired or awaiting dismantlement—the total number of nuclear warheads across all nuclear-armed countries reached 12,340. An unarmed but nuclear-capable United States Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launching during an operational test at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on May 21. An unarmed but nuclear-capable United States Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launching during an operational test at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on May 21. Senior Airman Kadielle Shaw/U.S. Space Force What People Are Saying The Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition said in a news release on Wednesday: "The United States and Russia account for more than 80 percent of the total number of active nuclear warheads and needless to say bear a special responsibility for nuclear disarmament, but the remaining seven countries' share also increased from 12 percent in 2018 to 17 percent in 2025." U.S. Air Force General Anthony J. Cotton, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, testified at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on March 26: "To effectively deter adversaries across the spectrum of threats requires sustained legacy triad systems and urgently completing the multigenerational, decades-long modernization of all three legs of the nuclear deterrent and its critical [nuclear command, control and communications] systems." Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, said on February 27: "On defense budget, the U.S. military spending has topped the world for many years in a row and is higher than that of the following eight countries combined, which deeply concerns the international community. I believe that the U.S. should put 'America First' into practice in this regard, and be the first to cut its nuclear arsenal and military expenditure." What Happens Next All nuclear-armed nations are expected to continue modernizing their arsenals amid conflicts around the world, such as the war in Ukraine, tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the Taiwan Strait, and the great power competition among the U.S., Russia and China.
