Photo By Master Sgt. Michael McGhee | Tom Tudor meets with the staff at the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum on Camp Dodge...... read more read more
On April 24, 2017, the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge Joint Maneuver Training Center in Johnston, Iowa hosted former U.S. Army tomb guard Tom Tudor for a presentation titled “Who’s Buried at Arlington National Cemetery,” detailing the history of Arlington National Cemetery and The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Approximately 100 guests attended the event.
Tudor served as a sentinel, then relief commander, at Arlington's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from February 1969 to Memorial Day of 1970. Currently, he is the president of the Society of the Honor Guard - Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a member of the board, living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his wife. He is also the proud father of two daughters.
During the first portion of the presentation, Tudor talked about his selection process as a sentinel and the demanding training involved. He passed around his Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge, telling guests the badge is one of the rarest badges awarded in the U.S. Army, second only to the Astronaut Badge. As of January 2016, only 639 soldiers have been awarded this distinction and honor.
When asked what he remembered most about his time as a sentry, Tudor replied, “The heat of the Summer, and the solitude at night.”
He went on to tell the story of Arlington from its beginnings to current times. Soldiers from every war the United States has fought in are buried within its hallowed grounds, a fact which sets Arlington apart from every other cemetery in North America. Currently, there are approximately 400,000 men and women buried there and every one of them has a story.
Monday night, Tudor gave the audience at the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum just a few of these stories.
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2017 13:13 |
| Story ID: | 231486 |
| Location: | JOHNSTON, IA, US |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Former sentinel shares tales from the Tomb, by MSgt Michael McGhee, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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