The First Black Soldier to Serve in Honor Guard

The 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as Old Guard, in Washington D.C., serves a number of important and high profile functions to include Presidential details and funeral details at Arlington National Cemetery, but within them is a elite cadre that guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 24 hours a day. Becoming a sentinel at the "Tomb" as it is known by the soldiers is difficult to say the least, with only 663 soldiers earning their Tomb of the Unknown Soldier badge since the 24 hour guard was first posted in 1937.

According to unit lore, President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana came to visit the tomb with President Kennedy back in 1961 and asked why there were not any soldiers of color on the guard detail. 

"Next thing I know, I was told to get my stuff because I was going to be a tomb guard," Fred Moore recalled during a video interview. At the time, Mr. Moore had no idea that he was the first African American to serve as a tomb guard.

Moore said the hardest part of the job was maintaining focus. Tomb guards do everything at a cadence of 21, from the 21 steps they take as they patrol in front of the tomb, to the 21 seconds they wait before executing an about face and walking 21 steps back. Although being a tomb guard is a sacred duty to those who serve there, Moore was able to share some humorous stories about the importance of maintaining focus.

"Oh, yeah," he replied when asked if people visiting the tomb tried to distract him. "Mostly the young ladies, I don't know I guess they had a fascination with the uniform and they couldn't understand why you wouldn't talk to them." Mr. Moore said that women would shout their names, addresses, and phone numbers to him.

He said he only broke his concentration once. He remembered the time a little boy ran under the chain that blocks off visitors from getting to close. Moore spun towards the boy and confronted him per the unit's standard operating procedures.

"Halt! It is requested that all visitors remain outside the chain!" he bellowed.

This time, it was the boy who executed an abrupt about face and ran back the way he came.

Moore says he hopes that it is now easier for African American soldiers to serve as tomb guards. "It was special to me because of those guys," he said referring to the unknown soldiers interred inside the tomb. "Those guys were the real heroes to me. The guys who sacrificed their lives, that was my main thing, honoring them."

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Reach Jack Murphy: jack@connectingvets.com or @JackMurphyRGR.