Sunday, April 03, 2005
The Pope's "few good men"
SWISS GUARDS
Over the years - and for the past several days - I've been asked about the Pontiff's colorfully uniformed soldiers and whether or not they are only for ceremonial purposes. Indeed not. They are Swiss Guards, members of an elite military unit (based on a contractual agreement between the Swiss government and the Vatican) that has defended a succession of Popes for over five centuries. Today, all - approximately 100 - Swiss Guards are unmarried Roman Catholic males between the ages of 19 and 30, who stand at least 5'8" tall, have completed military training in the Swiss armed forces, and are sworn to defend the Pope to the death. But they not only serve as personal bodyguards to the Pope: They are trained to fight in close quarters, handle a variety of weapons - from swords to H&K submachineguns - and defend the Vatican against all manner of armed opponents from criminals to terrorists to enemy soldiers and commandos.
Jeff Quinton references our discussion of the Swiss Guards, and he posts a link to their official website.
WTSjr
# posted by W. Thomas Smith, Jr. @ 8:28 AM 
