The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year.
It has been guarded, without interruption, since 1937.
In September of 2003, Hurricane Isabel reached Washington. The National Park Service, out of concern, gave the sentinels of the Old Guard permission to stand down for the storm.
They did not stand down.
The sergeant of the guard on duty that night refused the permission, calmly, and without further comment. He would later say, in an interview, only that permission was not the same as an order, and that in the absence of an order, the walk continues.
The walk continues.
Twenty-one steps. Turn. Face the tomb. Twenty-one seconds. Turn. Face the other way. Twenty-one seconds. Twenty-one steps.
The rain came sideways.
A tree fell in the cemetery a hundred yards to the east.
The wind lifted a portion of the roof from a nearby maintenance shed.
The sentinel did not break stride.
He walked. He turned. He walked.
At 3 a.m. the wind reached seventy miles per hour, and a sentinel weighing 175 pounds in soaked wool, carrying a rifle, and wearing sunglasses in the dark because the manual requires them, walked twenty-one steps, turned, and walked twenty-one steps back.
Nobody was watching him.
Nobody could have watched him. The cemetery had been closed. The public had been evacuated. The only witness was the storm.
He walked for six hours.
He was relieved at 6:12 a.m.
The tomb had not been left, at any point during the storm, uncovered.
There is no medal for this.
There is no ribbon. There is no citation. There is no commendation in his file.
The Old Guard does not require one.
The walk is the point.
The walk was the walk before there was a country to record it, and the walk will be the walk after everyone who remembers this night is gone.
Somewhere in America, at this moment, in whatever weather, a sentinel is walking twenty-one steps beside a marble slab, facing an unknown man whose name he does not know, for an oath he took to a country that will never see him take it.
That is what the promise looks like when nobody is watching.
Update:
Received a call from corporate.
Return to North Dakota oilfields immediately
Four new wells have opened
God is good
Christ is King ✝️
America is back
Drill baby drill
Why is it that every time the pipes burst, the machines fail, and the USBs mysteriously “fail to download correctly,” the chaos delivers exactly the result the political class wants?
I love men. I love when you open a door for me, help me take my suitcase off the carousel, open a jar for me, ready to protect me.
Real men who know how to treat a woman and know what a woman is.
If this is you, I love you, and keep being you.
I have a conundrum. I am 57 years old. The majority of my family and of the people whom I have known throughout my life are leftists. The sort of leftists who believe that Trump is a monarch and that they are living through a fascist takeover of the United States (is there any other kind of leftist?).
I am not interested in cutting them out of my life, but I simply have no interest in what they have to say. About anything. That’s the conundrum.
In the first 30 days of my administration, I’m ending sanctuary city policies/status.
I’m conducting a full forensic audit of all municipal budget activities to find out exactly where taxpayers’ money is going.
I’m also going directly into our communities, talking to citizens and encouraging qualified Chicagoans to apply to become police officers. We will create strong incentives to recruit and retain officers so we can address the shortage of nearly 2,000 officers.
When people know their leadership cares about them, supports them, and has their backs, they don’t mind working hard for you.
That’s the kind of leadership I’m bringing to Chicago.
Danielle Carter-Walters for Mayor-2027
https://t.co/FRBcC9YivY
#justicecarter
#commonsensecarter
#dcwforchi
I’m usually pretty solid when people ask who should replace someone in the Trump administration… but I’m genuinely stumped on Karoline Leavitt.
She was an absolute rockstar. Unapologetic. Fierce. A true lion and defender of this administration and of President Trump. That kind of talent doesn’t come around often.
I’m sad about it, but I’m even happier for her. She deserves to soak up every second with those babies. Motherhood is the greatest gift, and she earned this season.
I know she’ll recommend someone excellent to the President. But let’s be real — she is a rare generational talent. Replacing her won’t be easy.
When Andrew first arrived at Dominique and Kevin Gill's home in Nashville in 2018, he was 10 years old.
He had already spent four years in state custody.
Andrew entered foster care when he was 6, after his biological parents' parental rights were terminated. He had four siblings, and they were all adopted. Andrew remained in the system.
By the time he reached the Gills, he had learned not to expect people to stay.
During his first week in their home, Andrew mostly kept to himself. He stayed behind his bedroom door, looking through old photographs and barely wanting to talk.
Dominique and Kevin hadn't entered foster care planning to adopt. Dominique had grown up in a family that fostered children, and she wanted to offer another child the same kind of temporary home.
Then their son Joc walked into Andrew's life.
Joc simply asked Andrew if he wanted to play video games with him.
He did.
They played together, discovered a shared love for games like Minecraft, and slowly became best friends.
Andrew still struggled with everything he had been through. Sometimes he became angry. Sometimes he pushed the Gills away and told them he wanted to leave.
But they stayed.
Andrew eventually left their home after being matched with a prospective adoptive family. That placement didn't work out, and he returned to the Gills. Another prospective adoption also fell through.
By then, something had changed.
Andrew wasn't just a foster child living in their house anymore. Joc already saw him as his best friend. Dominique and Kevin had begun seeing him as their son.
In May 2020, when Andrew was 12, he was taken for a walk through a local park.
Around a corner, Dominique, Kevin, Joc, friends and family were waiting with balloons and signs.
They had one question for him.
Would he stay with them forever?
Andrew said yes.
Two months later, in July 2020, the adoption became official.
The boy Joc had once invited to play video games was now legally his brother.
Dominique later said Andrew would often thank the family for accepting him.
And for one thing in particular.
"Thank you for not giving up on me."
Years after arriving at their home as a quiet 10 year old who barely wanted to come out of his room, Andrew finally knew he wasn't waiting for another family anymore.
He was already home.
I took this photo of my older brother John, I was 18 & he was 20. He introduced me to the Who and Mott the Hoople. Hunter Thompson, Charles Bukowski. Brains, brawn and bluster- John died this week doing what he loved, heart attack on a bike trail in DC. Gonna blast Aqualung now.
The time for soft Christianity is over.
Now is the time for Christians to boldly act.
No more cheek turning and praying from places of safety.
It’s time to bravely act for the survival of our faith, our families, and our country.
3 strong beautiful Black women. My mother, who gave birth to me (10 pounds 9 ounces, no epidural). She's struggling with my transition, naturally. Im kidding, she's been very supportive! The other is my baby sister, going into her last year of college as a division I athlete.
I helped raise her and she has put a lot of time into the game of basketball. A crazy career, state titles lost to Covid shutdowns, back surgery, grueling workouts with me. She's starting her master's program! We're very proud of her and will protect her at all costs. Maybe her and I will be drafted together? Wouldn't that be something!
Royce White for U.S. Senate MN 2026
Vote for Me Today!
Tim Walz is still free
We can't even deport Ilhan Omar
Barack Obama commit treason and is living his best life now
Hillary and Bill Clinton are still out here mocking us
Alejandro Mayorkas is a ghost
Fauci clearly got away with it
Will there be any accountability?
Any?