Californian Becomes 1st Woman to Guard Tomb of Unknowns

Women gained another place in Army history Friday when a military police officer from California became the first woman to guard the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

After receiving the prestigious badge identifying her as a tomb guard, Sgt. Heather Johnsen immediately began a 24-hour shift with two other watchmen, sharing the task of guarding the white marble sarcophagus that sits on a hill above Washington.

Tomb guards volunteer for the duty and are considered the best of the 3rd Infantry Division, the Army’s oldest and one of its most elite units.

Only 389 guard badges have been awarded since they were created in February 1958.

Johnsen, a 23-year-old from Roseville, joined the Army in August 1992 and is based at Ft. Myer, Va.

Guards must serve at least a year in the infantry before applying to keep watch over the tomb, which holds the remains of an unidentified U.S. soldier from World War I, with remains from World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars adjacent.

It is guarded night and day, every day, in all kinds of weather, by a ramrod-straight guard who walks back and forth in a regimented pattern. The sentinels are relieved in an intricate ceremony known as the “changing of the guard,” a popular tourist attraction.

Before coming on active duty, Johnsen was a personnel administrative assistant in the Army Reserves. She has served in Korea and at Ft. Monmouth, N.J.