Washington D.C. was under siege! No, it wasn't the British invading again. Thankfully, the War of 1812 was long over. What was setting its sights on the U.S. capital in 2003 was the impending massive force of Hurricane Isabel.
As is normal in such abnormal circumstances, it was this metropolis's turn to methodically "batten down the hatches" and ride out the storm. Freeways were jammed as people streamed out of the city for safer ground. Congress adjourned for two days in preparation for nature's onslaught. But while traffic jams and congressional closures were taking up most of the nightly news airtime, the networks also reported on the unalterable ritual of guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The networks reported that the soldiers on duty at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery across the river in Virginia had been granted permission to suspend their assignment for their own welfare. If the storm became too severe or life-threatening, they had contingency plans to retreat to nearby secure locations, but even from there they would still be able to view and offer security to the honored remains within the whitened monument.
But it never happened. Steve Vogel, Washington Post reporter, caught the spirit of the tomb's sentinels when he quoted Sergeant First Class Fredrick Geary, officer in charge, saying, "Other than something earth shattering, we had no intention of doing anything other than our duty" ("Tomb Guards Stand Sentinel," Oct. 2, 2003).
Soaked to the bone in the pelting rain, they would continue their renowned back-and-forth march of 21 steps. During that dark and dreary night, 20 trees would come down in the near vicinity of their duty. But they never faltered. They would not abandon their duty to honor the unidentified remains of their fallen comrades within the tomb. It reminded all that their lone walk before a marble sarcophagus was not merely a job, but a calling and honor not to be easily cast aside or abandoned for momentary convenience.
