This is a story sent to me I thought was worth putting up Thanks, Harvey 
Subject: Third Infantry Regiment

Guarding The Tomb Of The Unknowns

The Third Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer has the responsibility for
providing ceremonial units and honor guards for state occasions, White
House social functions, public celebrations and interments at Arlington
National Cemetery....and standing a very formal sentry watch at the
Tombs of the Unknowns. The public is familiar with the precision of what
is called. "walking post" at the Tombs. There are roped off galleries
where visitors can form to observe the troopers and their measured step
and almost mechanical silent rifle shoulder changes. They are relieved
every hour in a very formal drill that has to be seen to believe. Some
people think that when the Cemetery is closed to the public in the
evening in the evening that this show stops. First, to the men who are
dedicated to this work...it is no show...it is a "charge of honor". The
formality and precision continues uninterrupted all night. During the
nighttime, the drill of relief and the measured step of the on duty
sentry remain unchanged from the daylight hours. To these men...these
special men, the continuity of this post is the key to the honor and
respect shown to these honored dead, symbolic of all American
unaccounted for American combat dead. The steady rhythmic step in rain,
sleet, snow, hail, hot, cold...bitter
cold...uninterrupted...uninterrupted is the important part of the honor shown. 

One night last month, while you were sleeping, the teeth of Hurricane
Isabel came through this area and tore hell out of everything... We had
thousands of trees down...power outages...traffic signals out...roads
filled with down limbs and "gear adrift" debris... We had flooding...and
the place looks like it has been the impact area of an off shore
bombardment. The Regimental Commander of the U.S. Third Infantry sent
word to the nighttime Sentry Detail to secure the post and seek shelter
from the high winds, to ensure their personal safety. 

THEY DISOBEYED THE ORDER...During winds that turned over vehicles and
turned debris into projectiles...the measured step continued. One
fellow said "I've got buddies getting shot at in Iraq who would kick my
butt if word got to them that we let them down...I'm sure as hell have
no intention of spending my Army career being known as the goddamn idiot
who couldn't stand a little light breeze and shirked his duty."
....Then he said something in response to a female reporters question
regarding silly purposeless personal risk.... "I wouldn't expect you to
understand. it's an enlisted man's thing." 

God Bless the rascal...In a time in our nation's history when spin and
total bullshit seems to have become the accepted coin-of-the-realm,
there beat hearts...the enlisted hearts we all knew and were so damn
proud to be a part of...that fully understand that devotion to duty is
not a part time occupation. While we slept, we were represented by some
damn fine men who fully understood their post orders and proudly went
about their assigned responsibilities unseen, unrecognized and in the
finest tradition of the American Enlisted Man. Folks, there's
hope....The gene that George S. Patton...Arliegh Burke and Jimmy
Doolittle left us...survives. 
Now, go have another cup to pop rivet your eyelids