Joseph Varanauski: Never give up the guard

By Lauren Jones, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

“I was, and still am, proud, humbled and honored to have been chosen to be a Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.”

PFC Joseph “Joe” Varanauski, Sr., was drafted into the Army at 18, shortly after graduating from Lindblom High School. His first stop was basic training at Fort Carson, Colorado, from July 1955 to December 1955. 

At the end of his training, Joe was selected to serve in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer in Arlington, VA, known as “The Old Guard.” Not knowing what to expect, Joe humorously remembers feeling a bit jealous of his Army friends who would serve in Hawaii.  

“I’d never been to Hawaii! And here I was, going to Washington, DC. But I didn’t know what to expect when I got there, so that was a big part of it.” Little did he know that his journey would take him to Arlington National Cemetery’s most iconic memorial. 

 Snow, sleet, heat, wind and rain, they never give up the guard.

When he first arrived at Fort Myer, Joe served as a casket bearer for funerals at Arlington National Cemetery, which he did until March 1956. Duties included military funeral escorts and performing the flag ceremony. He was soon recruited to serve as a Guard at Post #1, the home of General Maxwell Davenport Taylor, then Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff for the Armed Forces. General Taylor would go to D.C. to oversee the Army and the Chiefs of Staff. Joe was stationed in a booth right on the grounds of his home. 

During his time at Post #1, Joe was selected for training to potentially be a guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Being chosen as a trainee didn’t guarantee he would be a guard, which he explains, “At night, the trainees would go out there and we would take our turn walking the mat. Our superiors would pretend something was wrong and see how you handled it.  

“You have to be able to walk a straight line, one foot in front of the other, keep your uniform and rifle clean, and learn how to deal with unruly spectators in the crowd. You need to have good posture, stand between 5 feet 10” and 6’ 1”, and have an unblemished military record.” Joe was selected to be a Sentinel and said he wasn’t nervous since his training was so thorough. “I was proud and humbled to have been chosen for this position.”

 The Army is the only military service charged with guarding the tomb.

 Joe recounts a few details during his time as a Guard, including everything relating to the number 21. “21 steps across the mat, stand at attention for 21 seconds; each movement is 21 seconds. The Guards stay on count by counting in their heads one thousand one, one thousand two, and so on. This derives from the highest military honor, the 21-gun salute done at burials on land and sea.

“During my time at the Tomb, there were three reliefs. Each relief had three Sentinels and one Sergeant of the Guard. We guarded the Tomb for 24 hours a day, one hour at a time during the day and two hours off. This is when you would relax, get dressed, get ready and get inspected. We used alcohol to ‘spit shine’ our shoes. When the cemetery was closed at night, we guarded the Tomb for two hours and were off for four hours. After your shift was complete, you were off for two days. That’s when I would go visit the girlfriend,” he remembers with a smile.

Luckily, he didn’t need to handle many incidents during his time as a Guard, but he remembers one time in particular when someone spoke extra loudly as he marched. Joe turned to them and firmly stated, “It is requested that everyone remain silent and respectful,” to which the now humbled person politely obliged.

Joe served the remainder of his Army service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from September 1956 to July 1957. “When I was a Guard, only one Unknown Soldier from World War I was buried there. He was brought back from France and interred on November 11, 1921.” In 1956, President Eisenhower approved two Unknowns from World War II and Korea, who were buried in front of the original tomb in 1958. 

There has been a sentinel on duty in front of the Tomb every minute of every day since 1937.

Joe enjoyed the East Coast weather during his service and participated in a few special events. “I was selected to go to a President Eisenhower banquet and escorted him in,” he remembers. “So that was interesting, and we got to stay after the party and then dance with the debutantes.” He also met his wife, Kathy, at a Fort Myers dance held on Friday nights. They dated for a few months until he was honorably discharged from the Army in 1957. “We actually got engaged there on Valentine’s Day of 1957 and were married in November. We just rolled right into it. I was six days into 21, and Kathy was 23.” 

Kathy was originally from Illinois, so after the Army, they moved back to start a family. Joe was in inactive reserve during Vietnam and was ready to go if they needed him. Luckily, he was not called to serve during that war.

Upon returning home, he had a job waiting for him as a sheet metal worker. He helped to build several important buildings, including Northwestern Law School in Chicago and the old McDonald’s Campus in Oak Brook. He enjoyed that career for 35 years until suffering a back injury. He then became a real estate broker, which he also thoroughly enjoyed. 

Joe and Kathy raised two boys, Dan and Joe, and have four grandchildren. They were married for 65 years until she passed in 2021. 

These days, Joe stays busy serving in various organizations, including the Retired Tin Knockers, a group of former sheet metal workers; the St. Damian Men’s Club in Oak Forest; and Action Sertoma, a fundraising arm for the Sertoma Centre, which provides community mental health and counseling. Joe has been a member of Action Sertoma for more than 30 years. He also recently joined the Society of the Tomb Guards. To qualify, you had to serve and be honorably discharged.

Most importantly, he’s taking steps through the Joliet VA Clinic to improve his back issues and get back on the golf course. 

He has visited the Tomb a few times since his service and enjoys going back to see what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. “It’s a bit more theatrical now. They take a little more time to bring the rifle up and cross the shoulder. But that’s okay, they do a great job.” He also said the barracks below the Tomb have greatly expanded, but the Guard service is the same. 

He’s excited to be chosen for Honor Flight Chicago and looks forward to his trip and spending the day with two friends participating in his flight. D.C. has changed a lot since he was initially there, and he looks forward to seeing new monuments.

In 2021, Joe participated in a WGN interview to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Tomb and discuss his experience. Watch the clip here.  

Thank you, Joe, for your dedication to the Unknown service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. We hope you enjoy your day!