A few years ago, Jeff Colwell had trouble making it through a 40-minute class without getting kicked out by the teacher. Now, he pulls 27-hour shifts guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one of the nation’s most sacred landmarks, as a member of one of the most elite units of the Military.

 
“I definitely struggled in high school, not academically, per se, but behaviorally. I’d get kicked out of class, not so much out of disrespect but by being the class clown,” said Colwell, a 2016 Windsor Central High School graduate. 

 

 

The catalyst behind Colwell’s stunning turnaround was his enlistment in the Military. But, even that took a radical transformation.

“I’m the last person anyone would have expected to join the Military. When I went to the enlistment office they told me, ‘You need to lose 45 pounds,’” said Colwell.

He didn’t lose 45 pounds. He lost 50 - in a month and a half. 

“I ate five small meals a day with low carbs, mainly protein. I ran at least three miles a day and swam on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” said Colwell.

 

Colwell is now a Tomb Sentinel stationed at Ft. Myer in Arlington, Virginia. It’s one of the military’s rarest assignments.

“Since 1957, 659 badges have been awarded. It’s the second-least awarded, second only to the Astronaut Badge,” said Colwell. 

Colwell originally wanted to be part of the Continental Color Guard, taking part in the large-scale patriotic displays you often see at NFL football games. His bosses had other ideas.

“The Army came to me and said, ‘You’re going to the Tomb,” said Colwell. 

But saying it didn’t make it so. Becoming a Tomb Sentinel requires a nearly year-long training process, one most don’t complete. Trainees have to memorize 17 pages of material, verbatim. Then they have to be ready to recite that knowledge without making any mistakes. 

They also have to make their own uniforms, including a shoe-shining process that takes 27 hours. Those uniforms can have no more than two minor deficiencies, including measurements to within 1/64 of an inch.

“I went down to training with 12 people and only four got the badge. There’s a high rate of attrition,” said Colwell.

Getting the badge turned out to be the easy part. The 27-hours shifts and the seemingly endless hours on “The Mat” guarding the Tomb got to Colwell. 

“I started to question my motives. Was just putting a badge on my chest worth it? I tried to quit and my team leader had a talk with me. I ended up breaking into tears,” said Colwell. “One day I plan to go to Ranger School and join Special Forces. If I were to quit at the Tomb, who’s to say I wouldn’t quit later?”

 

 

Colwell also discovered guarding the Tomb was about more than a badge on his chest.

“When I laid a wreath down for a First Lieutenant and saw his widow cry, when I saw a World War Two veteran at the top of the stairs need help just to shake my hand and thank me for what I was doing, that’s when I realized the reason I needed to do this is the people,” said Colwell. “I give that closure to people who have lost their loved ones, or anyone who gets emotional seeing us represent the troops.”

Colwell has started the process of applying to the nine-week Ranger School this summer. He hopes to excel there so that he’s selected for RASP, the Ranger Assessment Selection Program. 

However, until that process plays itself out, Colwell will remain a Tomb Sentinel. He may even have a chance to perform his duties in front of a Windsor audience. The annual 8th-grade class trip in June is to Washington D.C. If Colwell can’t meet up with the class at the Tomb, he’s making himself available to give his Tomb presentation to any students when he returns to Windsor.

“I’d be happy to do it for them,” said Colwell.