Danyell Elaine Wilson (born July 16, 1974) is a former U.S. Army soldier and former member of the

3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment The 3rd United States Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. It currently has three active battalions, and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as Escort to the President. The regimental motto is ' ...

, best known as "The Old Guard”. She is the first-ever African American female tomb guard for the

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Early life and military service

Wilson was born on July 16, 1974, in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. In February 1993, Wilson enlisted in the U.S. Army. She served as a military police soldier for the Military Police Company, 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard). After eight-month training, Wilson became a member of the Honor Guard Company of The Old Guard, one of the U.S. Army’s most prestigious units. On January 22, 1997, Wilson became the first African American female tomb guard for the

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington) The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a historic monument dedicated to deceased U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, United States. The World War I "Unknown" is a re ...

, a historic US monument at

which honors the unidentified remains of three combatants from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. At the time, Wilson was the second woman and one of only 400 soldiers to have earned the prestigious

Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge The Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge is a military badge of the United States Army that honors those soldiers who have been chosen to serve as members of the Honor Guard, known as "Sentinels", at the Tomb of the Unknown S ...

since its creation in 1958 (In 1996,

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

Heather Lynn Johnsen was the first woman to serve as a Tomb Guard). Prior to 1993, the US Army prohibited women from serving guard duty at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Honors

*In 2018, the US Army Women’s Hall of Fame inducted Wilson as a member of its Hall of Fame as part of a consortium of four Female Sentinels at the Tomb of Unknowns.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Danyell, E. Living people People from Montgomery, Alabama Military personnel from Montgomery, Alabama Arlington National Cemetery 1974 births