WASHINGTON—Hurricane Sandy is expected to slam the East Coast and the federal government is shut down—but the U.S. servicemen who guard the outdoor Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery will remain on duty.

“They will not abandon their post,” an employee who answered the Arlington Cemetery’s phone confirmed to Yahoo News. He identified himself as “George,” but was not authorized to speak on the record to the media.

The tomb, located just outside Washington, D.C., holds the remains of unidentified soldiers from World War I, World War II and Korea.