Sixteen lines, internalized as a personal vow. The framework by which the watch is kept.
Every Sentinel commits the Creed to memory before walking onto the mat. It is not a recitation. It is the standard by which the watch is kept.
The Creed is the personal vow of the Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. Each Sentinel of Youth on Guard adopts the same vow — not to perform a part, but to mean the words.
My dedication to this sacred duty is total and whole-hearted. In the responsibility bestowed on me never will I falter.
And with dignity and perseverance my standard will remain perfection. Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability.
It is he who commands the respect I protect, his bravery that made us so proud. Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day, alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored glory rest under my eternal vigilance.
The Creed is studied for what it commits the Sentinel to: not effort, but perfection; Not presence, but vigilance; Not duty, but reverence.
The team works with each Trainee through every line. They unpack the meaning. They sit with the weight. By the time a Sentinel walks onto the mat for the first time, the Creed is not text on a page — it is the standard they have agreed to be measured against.
My standard will remain perfection. — The Sixth Line
Sentinels return year after year because the Creed does not fade. It deepens. The standard does not change — the Sentinel does.
We would love the chance to discuss our program with you.