Female guard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier takes historic last walk

ARLINGTON, Va. (CNN) - The only female sentinel guard currently assigned to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery took her final walk Thursday afternoon.

Sergeant Kamille Torres has walked the mat at Arlington National Cemetery 746 times.

She paid her final respects Thursday, surrendering her gloves and sunglasses and laying a rose at each crypt.

Torres is only the sixth female to guard the tomb since the first woman earned the badge to carry out the sacred duty in 1996.

She is leaving the military in November.

While Torres says she’s still unclear about what’s next, she said guarding the tomb has opened a lot of doors.

Soldiers who volunteer to become tomb guards undergo a strict selection process and intensive training.

There has been a sentinel on duty in front of the tomb every minute of every day since 1937.

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