The Tomb Guard Presentation

This presentation by Dennis J. McMahon III, retired Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, will consist of a PowerPoint describing the history of the tomb at Arlington National Cemetery and explaining what it takes to become a Sentinel there. Presented by Western Allegheny Historical Society.

Dennis J. McMahon III enlisted in the Army in 1984 and was recruited while in basic training to report to “The Old Guard” at Fort Myer, VA in preparation for Presidential inauguration in 1985. In 1987 he volunteered and was accepted as a Tomb Guard. Serving as a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from 1987-1988, making over 595 “walks” and eventually was promoted to Assistant Relief Commander, where he changed the guard over 400 times. He earned the prestigious Tomb Guard Identification Badge, #320. The Tomb Guard badge is the 3rd least awarded badge in the US military. In 1988 he became a Counterintelligence (CI) Special Agent where he served in multiple locations throughout the world until 2004, retiring as a First Sergeant (E8). His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, and many other awards to include: Expert Infantry Badge, Air Assault Badge, and was inducted in the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club and is a recipient of the Military Intelligence Corps, Knowlton Award. After military retirement, he began working for The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in 2005 as a Senior Personnel Security Specialist, where he still works to this day. Dennis and his wife Lisa have been married for 40 years and have 3 children and live in North Fayette, PA.