Photo By Elizabeth Fraser | U.S. Army Spc. Jessica Kwiatkowski walks the mat for the final time at the Tomb of the...... read more read more
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Spc. Jessica Kwiatkowski had a notable tenure as a Tomb Guard with the 3d Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) at Arlington National Cemetery. Not only was she the first woman infantry soldier to earn a Tomb Badge, but she also gained notoriety when a video of her guarding the Tomb during a severe thunderstorm went viral.
Her time guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier came to an end on Oct. 4, 2024, when she conducted her last walk. Once completed, she handed her rifle to Staff Sgt. William Matyas, but instead of a quick handoff, the two stood, facing each other as Kwiatkowski whispered a few words to him. Neither would later say what words were exchanged. Kwiatkowski would only say, “When you pass the rifle off, it goes to a person who meant a lot to you during your time here, and that was him for me.”
Once Matyas took Kwiatkowski’s rifle, she laid a white rose at each of the unknown crypts. She chose white roses since white represents new beginnings and because they were the same color used when the Unknown Soldier from World War I was chosen.
With the roses laid, Kwiatkowski’s duties to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were officially complete. Kwiatkowski will now instruct incoming soldiers on Old Guard uniforms, the manual and proper marching. She hopes to eventually become a drill sergeant.
At her last walk ceremony, Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Jay, Sergeant of the Guard, in front of a crowd of soldiers, ANC employees and family, told her, “When you came to the platoon, from all accounts, you could barely maneuver the rifle, is that correct?” Kwiatkowski smiled and said, “Yep.” “And now you’re one of the most photographed and talked about Sentinels in modern time,” he said.
Jay listed Kwiatkowski’s distances walked, the total number of guard changes she oversaw and the countless wreaths she laid. He told her to be proud of her time at the Tomb, “You served this key role and had an unprecedented impact on the Army, the nation and young women everywhere who were lucky to catch you on the mat when they visited.”
Pride was the order of the day among Kwiatkowski’s family. Her mother, Lynne Kwiatkowski, tried to hold back tears through the whole ceremony. Her father, Jason Kwiatkowski, recalled when his daughter told him she wanted to be a Tomb Guard. “I told her, ‘Everything in life is tough, what’s the worst thing that can happen, they tell you no? At least you’ll have no regrets.’”
Kwiatkowski’s grandparents also spoke about their pride for their granddaughter. Her grandfather, Lawrence Kwiatkowski, had served in the infantry in Vietnam and said that when she told him she had joined the infantry, he joked with her, “Jessica, the infantry is no fun!”
Of all the Tomb Guards in attendance, Sgt. Kaylee Johnson might miss Kwiatkowski the most. The two developed a close friendship as the only other woman in the unit. “She’s like my sister,” said Johnson after the ceremony. “It’ll feel pretty empty in the locker room, not having Skee,” she said, using Kwiatkowski’s nickname. “She taught me never to give up and to just keep trying.”
| Date Taken: | 10.04.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.09.2024 09:13 |
| Story ID: | 482812 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | BUFFALO, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 36 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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