Q 01/05

How many steps does a Tomb Guard march down the black mat before turning to face the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier?

A) 10

B) 21

C) 50

D) 100

Answer · why

B) 21

21 mirrors the 21-gun salute, the military's highest tribute. The guard then faces the Tomb for the same count in seconds before marching back.

Q 02/05

What were sightseers doing on the flat, unguarded Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that prompted its first guard in 1925?

A) Holding weddings

B) Having picnics

C) Camping overnight

D) Scattering ashes

Answer · why

B) Having picnics

Having picnics on the low marble slab, with its view of Washington, was common enough that a civilian guard was posted in 1925. Soldiers took over the...

Q 03/05

Why does a Tomb Guard pacing the mat at Arlington wear no rank insignia, unlike the relief commander?

A) To remain anonymous

B) To hide rank from visitors

C) Not to outrank the Unknowns

D) To look identical

Answer · why

C) Not to outrank the Unknowns

Not to outrank the Unknowns, whose ranks nobody knows, the guard on the mat wears a uniform without insignia. Relief commanders show their rank only w...

Q 04/05

Which war's Unknown was removed from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in 1998 after DNA testing revealed his name?

A) World War I

B) World War II

C) Vietnam War

D) Korean War

Answer · why

C) Vietnam War

Vietnam War remains buried in 1984 proved to be Air Force pilot Michael Blassie, shot down in 1972. His family reburied him in Missouri, and the crypt...

Q 05/05

Sergeant Edward Younger chose America's World War I Unknown Soldier by placing what on one of four identical caskets?

A) A folded flag

B) His helmet

C) A laurel wreath

D) White roses

Answer · why

D) White roses

White roses, handed to him by an officer in a French city hall, marked the casket. Younger said he circled the four three times before something made ...