The Martyrs Shrine
Taiwan is where Hello Kitty meets Confucius, and then they go sing karaoke together, and somehow it all works. Which is to say, if you’re looking for a sober march to honor fallen heroes, do not—I repeat, do not—go to the changing of the guard at the Martyrs Shrine in Taipei.
The ceremony is really just plain fun for everyone—and even manages to honor Taiwan’s war dead. Every few hours, a solemn detail marches out of the shrine toward the front gate, swinging their arms energetically and passing right by you and a bunch of Taiwanese school kids doing their best marching-soldier imitations. When the guards reach the gate, the procession turns into a miniature military circus, with rifles flying through the air between the guards, who deftly catch them and toss them back. It is all impressive, despite the hecklers who do their best to disturb the stone-blank faces of the stoic soldiers standing at attention at the main gate. (More sophisticated visitors can read the heroes’ histories.) The buildings are cool, if you like Chinese architecture à la Beijing’s Forbidden City, and best of all, it’s free.
- Brian Johnson
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The Wagah Border
The India-Pakistan border is not a particularly safe area. The countries have engaged in three wars since their independence in 1947, along with an uncountable number of armed skirmishes. And let’s not even get into Kashmir and the so-called Line of Control—my point is, the border is not a place to hang around and make friends.
Unless, of course, you happen to be at the Wagah checkpoint, the only open passage between the two countries, around 4 p.m. That’s when the guards on both sides of the border—located midway between Amritsar, India, and Lahore, Pakistan—engage in a peacocklike show of strength called “Beating the Retreat.”
On each side, soldiers in flamboyant dress—red, fanlike headdresses for the Indians, black upside-down umbrellalike ones for the Pakistanis—begin marching right up to the borderline, stomping their shiny boots as hard as they can and waving their arms wildly. At the line itself, they face off, ferocious but restrained, finally lowering their flags and closing the border crossing. Oh, and meanwhile, hundreds of Indians and Pakistanis cheer them on from the bleachers, calling out, “Hindustan, jindabagh!” or “Pakistan, jindabagh!” Long live [insert country name here]! It’s just like the Super Bowl—simulated war, where no one gets hurt. But in the interest of promoting peace, try your own chant: “Indopak, jindabagh!”
-Matt Gross
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The Tomb of the Unknowns
Do you like marching? Are you between five-foot-ten and six-foot-four? Do you enjoy adhering to a precise routine? And, most important of all, can you count to 21? If so, then your dream job may await you at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknowns, outside Washington, D.C.
Day and night, at all times and in all weather conditions, one solitary sentinel—selected from the Army’s Third U.S. Infantry and dressed in an immaculate uniform—marches in front of the Tomb. He marches 21 paces to the south, turns to the east and waits 21 seconds, then faces north for another 21 seconds before taking 21 steps on his return journey. (Why 21? It represents the highest military honor: the 21-gun salute.)
The changing of the guard takes place every 30 or 60 minutes during cemetery operating hours. When it’s time for the marching sentinel to be replaced, a commander asks the crowd to stand in silence and then inspects the new guard’s M14 rifle. The three men then salute in unison, the retiring guard steps down, and the new sentinel begins his vigilant pacing. 1… 2… 3… Wait, what comes after 3?
--Newley Purnell
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