Honor guard leaves post to aid injured vet at WWII memorial (VIDEO)
A Russian guard stationed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow was filmed helping a fellow servicemember pay his respects
A video making the rounds on Russian social media shows a soldier stationed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in central Moscow leaving his post to help an apparent war veteran, who had trouble paying his respects due to a leg injury.
Honor guards are required to maintain protocol while on duty, but the one caught on film apparently chose compassion over regulations.
The visitor was using crutches and found it difficult to kneel before the flame – which serves as the centerpiece of the war memorial in Red Square – and lay flowers at the tomb, the video shows. One of the soldiers keeping watch over the tomb walked from his post to help the man stand up and pay his respects.
A number of countries have war memorials of the same name to commemorate lives lost to armed conflicts. Russia’s version was unveiled in 1967, dedicated specifically to those slain in World War II. It entombs the remains of soldiers originally buried in a mass grave northwest of Moscow who were killed in action in 1941.
The Russian memorial has had a permanent daytime honor guard of two men since 1997. The changing of the guard takes place every hour.