Prompt Cast
The History and Significance of Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers
TLDR Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers are important memorials dedicated to soldiers whose remains could not be identified. They personalize war and honor the sacrifice of all soldiers, and have been guarded with great pomp and ceremony for over 100 years.
Timestamped Summary
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The tombs of the Unknown Soldiers are important memorials dedicated to soldiers whose remains could not be identified, and have been guarded with great pomp and ceremony for over 100 years.
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The earliest known memorial dedicated to war dead is a 4,500-year-old white monument in Syria, and war memorials rose in prominence in the later half of the 19th century, with the First World War changing the nature of war memorials.
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The idea of creating tombs for unknown soldiers was a way to personalize war and honor their sacrifice, with the British and French tombs of the unknowns being established before the United States followed suit in 1921.
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The United States created tombs for unknown soldiers from the Second World War and the Korean War, and later added a fourth unknown soldier from the Vietnam War, but his identity was later confirmed and his remains were returned to his family.
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The tomb of the American unknown soldiers is guarded 24/7 by the Army's 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, making it a unique and highly prestigious duty in the U.S. military.
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The sentinels guarding the tomb of the unknown soldiers enforce behavior of visitors and do not wear a uniform showing rank, as they don't wish to outrank the soldiers who are interred, and they stand guard 24/7, even during severe weather.
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Selecting an anonymous unidentified soldier to represent all soldiers is a way to personalize something vague and abstract, as noted by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George in 1920.
