CPT Sean Paul Stolarski, West Point Class of 2021, earned The Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge during a ceremony in the Lower Memorial Amphitheater Chapel at Arlington National Cemetery on January 9, 2025.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, the Cemetery’s most iconic memorial, is watched over every hour of every day, through heat, rain, and snow. Since 1921, the white marble sarcophagus has provided a final resting place for one of America’s unidentified World War I service members, and Unknowns from later wars were added in 1958 and 1984. The tomb has evolved to serve as a place of mourning and a site for reflection on American military service.

The honor of guarding the tomb belongs to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army. They are responsible not only for protecting the tomb, but also for performing military funerals, ceremonies, and other duties across Arlington National Cemetery. Each guard, known as a Sentinel, carries out a duty that requires absolute precision and discipline. 

Training to become a Sentinel takes months of preparation, involving uniform inspections, physical conditioning, and detailed study of the tomb’s history and meaning. Every movement, from the placement of their steps to the turn of their head, follows a strict standard of excellence. 

Stolarski mastered a comprehensive body of knowledge drawn from hundreds of questions, passed uniform inspections measured to the 64th-of-an-inch, and flawlessly executed the ceremonial guard-changing sequence. More important still, he served honorably for the required period, proving day after day that he could be trusted to stand watch over the nation’s sacred ground.

The badge is one of the rarest badges in the U.S. Army, signifying the elite and demanding nature of the role. It is unique in the Army—permanent, yet revocable should a guard ever bring discredit upon the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Stolarski’s receipt of the The Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge affirms not only what he has done, but who he is: a professional officer, grounded in tradition, worthy of trust, and fully aware that some duties are larger than oneself.