For 1 sentinel, a final walk at Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

By MIKE PESOLI ARLINGTON Va AP For the last two years Army Sgt st Class Andrew Jay has been dutifully guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery Related Articles The penny costs nearly cents to make Here s how much the US spends on minting its other coins Urban fires can mean long trips for helicopters to get water One firefighter had a better idea Federal investigators comb site of San Diego plane crash in neighborhood of military housing Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing to avoid prosecution over Max crashes Publix recalls baby food pouches after testing finds elevated levels of lead Rain or shine snow or sleet for hours a day 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 facility members With Jay s final walk scheduled for June 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 described 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 The Associated Press was given rare access to the changing of the guard at the sunrise hour as the cemetery was still closed to the constituents Jay who is from Indianapolis volunteered for the position after serving in the Kentucky-based st Airborne Division which specializes in air assault operations and is known for its record in World War II He trained for almost months for the guard duty The training is unlike anything I ve ever done in my career so far he mentioned 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 stated You have to be locked in for a nine-minute guard change but then also your -minute walk So what you re thinking about kind of varies between soldier to soldier Army Sgt st Class Andrew Jay speaks during an interview with The Associated Press Thursday May at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Va AP Photo Mike Pesoli Army Sgt st Class Andrew Jay patrols the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Thursday May at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Va AP Photo Mike Pesoli Army Sgt st Class Andrew Jay patrols the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Thursday May at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Va AP Photo Mike Pesoli The Washington Monument is visible behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at sunrise Thursday May Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Va AP Photo Julia Demaree Nikhinson Show Caption of Army Sgt st Class Andrew Jay speaks during an interview with The Associated Press Thursday May at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Va AP Photo Mike Pesoli Expand The sentinels spend half an hour walking the mat in the warmer months and an hour during colder months They perform a dramatic changing of the guard at the grave site that visitors to the Washington area flock to see marching policies down the mat turning and facing east for seconds then north for seconds and then back down the mat for more repeating the process The number refers to the high military honor of the -gun salute which can be heard booming throughout the cemetery and surrounding areas during military funerals on the grounds There are at this time three unidentified U S organization 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 to million visitors annually will hold a number of events to honor fallen function members Just before Memorial Day weekend the rd U S Infantry Regiment places American flags at the grave sites of more than amenity members buried at the cemetery an event known as Flags In On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend the populace 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 during that first official observance here in Arlington disclosed Allison Finkelstein the senior historian of Arlington National Cemetery It is the day to remember and honor our war dead There have been tomb guards since 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 declared