News / Military
Column
By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / June 10, 2016
PHOTO: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where Memorial Day ceremonies were held June 6, is the subject of a recent documentary, The Unknowns, showing Wednesday in Tampa. (Getty Images)
Benjamin Bell knows what it takes to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
He knows about the long hours of drilling, instruction and correction. He knows about the endless pursuit of perfection and the time spent standing in the hot sun, driving rain or swirling snow.
From 2001 to 2004, Bell was a tomb guard, a member of the vaunted 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as “The Old Guard.” During those years, the Tampa man took part in one of the military’s most solemn duties.
Later this week, he is hosting the showing of The Unknowns, a documentary made about what he calls “the best job of my life.”
Made by a former tomb guard, the film shows how Army volunteers take on the intense training cycle at the tomb, said Bell, now a nurse at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa.
It shows the journey of new guards as they progress through often grueling training and are “exposed to the rich history and honorable traditions of the brotherhood of sentinels who guard the tomb as they learn what it means to protect our nation’s patriots amidst America’s most hallowed grounds,” Bell said.
Bell was at the tomb on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
He was in the barracks when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon.
“They called us to the tomb to set up a perimeter,” he said.
He wasn’t wearing his ceremonial uniform that day. He and another guard were dressed for battle, as they usually did for nighttime watch only. But this was no ordinary day.
After the cemetery was closed, Bell said, he and about 30 other tomb guards went to Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, a short distance from the Pentagon.
“We could see everything happening,” Bell said. “It was very unbelievable. For days after that, we could see smoke rising over the trees.”
The documentary is a “labor of love” by Ethan Morse, a tomb guard who was there after Bell left. When Morse got out of the service, he went to film school in Los Angeles, Bell said, and has been working since 2012 to make The Unknowns a reality.
To do so, Morse created a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the project, Bell said.
It’s dedicated to Adam Dickmyer, one of the three tomb guards who have been killed in action. Dickmyer was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2010, Bell said. The other two were killed in Vietnam.
Bell, who already has seen the documentary, called it a good overview of what it takes to become a tomb guard.
“It is a very emotional story and very important,” he said. “It takes the beard off of Santa Claus in looking at the training it takes to guard the tomb.”
The Unknowns will screen at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the AMC Woodlands Square 20 theater, 3128 Tampa Road, Oldsmar. The timing coincides with the Army’s 241st birthday.
The event is sold out, but Bell said if there is enough interest, he’ll arrange another showing. Anyone interested can call (813) 210-5262 or email benjaminbell@tombguard.org
More information is available at theunknownsmovie.com
Speaking of movies, the plot of Range 15 sounds like so many films from a now-familiar genre.
“A group of veterans wake up after a night of partying to find out that the zombie apocalypse has spread across the United States,” according to the official description. “Together, they must fight their way across the country in order to find a cure for the outbreak and restore freedom before it’s too late.”
But there’s a twist to the movie, which screens Wednesday at several local theaters: This is no ordinary cast of characters.
“A group of insane military veterans, including the Lone Survivor Marcus Luttrell, Mat Best, Nick Palmisciano, and Medal of Honor recipients Leroy Petry and Clint Romesha bring you the first ever veteran-made blockbuster film,” according to the movie description. “They wrote it. They acted in it. They produced it.”
Just one caveat.
“The only thing they will guarantee is that after watching it, you will never thank a veteran for their service again. Don’t bring your kids. Seriously. Don’t. They’ll have nightmares. Forever.”
The movie shows at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the AMC West Shore 14, 7:30 p.m. at Studio Movie Grill-Tampa and at AMC The Regency 20 and IMAX in Brandon, and 8:30 p.m. at the Muvico Centro Ybor 10. The Muvico show is sold out.
A fundraiser is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday before the screenings at the Bad Monkey, 1717 E Seventh Ave. in Ybor City, to raise funds for the Stay-in-Step Foundation and the American Heroes Foundation.
The Pentagon announced no new deaths in ongoing operations around the globe.
However, a Navy aviator and nine soldiers — including two from Florida — were killed in training accidents at home.
Killed June 2 during a training exercise at Fort Hood, Texas, were Sgt. Miguel Angel Colonvazquez, 38, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Spc. Christine Faith Armstrong, 27, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; Spc. Yingming Sun, 25, of Monterey Park, Calif.; Pfc. Brandon Austin Banner, 22, Milton, Fla.; Pfc. Zachery Nathaniel Fuller, 23, Palmetto, Fla.; Pvt. Isaac Lee Deleon, 19, San Angelo, Texas; Pvt. Eddy Rae’Laurin Gates, 20, Dunn, N.C.; Pvt. Tysheena Lynette James, 21, Jersey City, N.J.; and U.S. Military Academy Cadet Mitchell Alexander Winey, 21, of Valparaiso, Ind.
That same day, Navy Blue Angel pilot Capt. Jeff Kuss, 32, of Durango, Colo., was killed when his F/A-18C Hornet crashed during practice at the Smyrna Airport in Smyrna, Tenn.
There have been 2,347 U.S. troop deaths in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, 21 U.S. troop deaths and one civilian Department of Defense employee death in support of the follow-up, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan, and 16 troop deaths and one civilian death in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
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