Gone!
In 11 days, all the online locations for “The Old Guard on Parade – 2009″ calendar will be removed.
The calendar is a collector’s item, since this is the FIRST calendar about this historic regiment of the US ARMY — It’s the oldest active infantry regiment with over 200 years of history.
And the calendar will be history once the day of 31 MAR ends and it’ll disappear for sale. So if you haven’t bought one. Do it now. …. Thank you for your support.
I truly take some awesome photographs. The Presidential Salute Battery is truly marvelous with what they do.
Catch a glimpse of the latest at my Facebook Page and become a fan … please?
Over the past ten years, I’ve been blessed to be called upon to participate and capture the final honors of many of those who have served the United States of America in military service. Most of those have been at Arlington National Cemetery, with several, (expenses paid … thank you!) in Kentucky, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Tennessee. All of the honors ceremonies have been absolutely splendid – a fitting tribute to one who has devoted his/her life to maintain the freedoms we enjoy in the United States.
I’ve been reading a book on The Old Guard’s history and reached an essay written by COL Neale Cosby US Army (Ret) and it filled me with emotions. I thought it important enough to transcribe it and share it with the world, since it provides an insight that we all can appreciate…
“Forty plus years ago, I was the platoon leader of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. One day I was standing on the plaza inspecting a guard change when a little old lady asked me the usual set of questions.
” ‘Are there guards here at night?’ Answer: yes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And it has been so since 1936. Every second of every minute, of every, of every day – rain, shine, snow, sleet, a guard is here day and night.
“Then she asked how are the guards selected? I cited high character requirements for duty at the Tomb. In short, I told her that they must be good soldiers and good citizens.
“Following the guard change, she came back with more questions. She was persistent. I can still see her face today. She asked: ‘Do the guards like the duty here?’ I said, ‘Yes. They feel it is an honor to continuously render, in their own small soldierly way, this nation’s highest honors to the Unknown Soldier.’
“She said ‘What do you mean?’ I explained that the highest honor that this country renders to anyone is a 21-gun salute. The President gets a 21-gun salute. And then I told her that this is what this lone sentinel is doing, continuously. Then I pointed to the sentinel on the mat. In a whisper, I counted 21 seconds as he paused at each facing movement — one thousand one, one thousand two and so on. I counted the steps as he crossed the mat from one side of the Tomb to the other, always keeping an eye on the Tomb and keeping his body between the Tomb and the weapon he carries. Thus rendering the highest honors with his 21-count, continuously.
“At the end, she began to cry and she said, ‘You may wonder why I’m asking these questions, but you see, I have a personal interest here. This is the only place I have to pay my respects to my son who did not return from the war.’
With that she departed leaving me touched for life and forever answering the question of WHY WE GUARD THE TOMB”
COL Cosby was awarded Tomb Guard Badge #6 (July 58 – July 60).
I had a glorious day today. A new friend who I met on Facebook came to Washington, DC to visit his dad’s final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery. When he let me know he was coming into town with his father-in-law, I offered to give them a ride and tour of Fort Myer and Arlington National Cemetery…
We drove around the Post of FORT Myer, and I pointed out the buildings that were once stables (Fort Myer once had over 1,500 horses located within the Post’s grounds. I learned today that it was a re-mount location for the US ARMY.) We then visited the Caisson Platoon as they were tending to their horses. From there, we walked across the street to view the offerings of the gift shop tended by the Old Guard Ladies Association (my guest wanted to purchase one of the calendars that he had heard and saw so much about – “The Old Guard on Parade – 2009″ … while there I let the staff know that the next tribute to the Old Guard would be soon available.
We finished our tour of Fort Myer almost, when I encountered one of the “watchmen” from the Presidential Salute Battery – The Guns Platoon. I introduced my guests to the soldier who promptly provided some great background on the work and missions he and the rest of the platoon execute.
From Fort Myer, we headed into Arlington National Cemetery. Me with my eye on the time so we could observe the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. After going around for a while, it was time to head to the Tomb of the Unknowns. I looked closely at the Tomb Guard walking the mat (they all look the same with their sunglasses on and their smartly presented uniforms) … Yes it was… a soldier who had been a neighbor down-the-hall when he lived in the same building… he was “walking the mat” as the guards refer to it (you can see the indentations of their patrol of 21 steps worn into the mat)
I positioned myself down in front to the North of the Tomb to get some good up close photos… As the sentinel performed his duty, I got an acknowledgement that he knew I was there (I’m not telling how he let me know, but he did TWICE!!!) and greeted me.
My guests were really into the changing of the guard and “my” Tomb Guard did a flawless execution. Later we went into the building behind the tomb and I provided some background of how things came to be. To my surprise, “my” Tomb Guard came up to me and spent a few moments with us before he needed to return to the barracks under the building to rest before his next tour of guard duty. Thanks Benton! Great Job… Keep up the good work and my Boston based friends were honored to meet you!
One of my guests remarked that it was a true honor to meet that soldier, especially when informed him that the Tomb Guard Badge that he earned was the least awarded in the entire US military. The number is currently around 600 since the US ARMY has been guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns.
From there, we went to my friend’s father’s final resting place. He was 1st Cavalry, US Army and in Air Assault – helocopters… as we neared his spot, a Blackhawk lifted off from the Pentagon and swung nearby. I remarked to my friend “Must be your dad saying hello…”
I love what I do… my mission of “Preserving the memories so others will remember…” ™
The day began with that “perfect” final honors I wrote about earlier at Arlington National Cemetery. The day for the soldiers of the 3d Infantry Regiment – The Old Guard – – began earlier their day with a regimen of physical training, then at 1000, the preparations for the two missions at 1500 in Arlington National Cemetery for MG Alvin C Welling, US Army (Ret) and RADML Chauncey F. Hoffman US Navy (Ret).
I found one section of the Presidential Salute Battery at a location between the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and President John F. Kennedy’s grave. The other section was on the other side of the hill to the North. The rain poured down as the soldiers waited for the commo call to begin their mission, and off in the distance, one could hear the other battery section firing the salutes for the Admiral.
It was minutes later that the soldiers around me got into formation and we saw the procession to the South of us for General Welling. When the commo call came through the guns fired. The photo you see above is the first round in that mission.
Despite all the rain and cold, both sections executed their missions with precision & perfection.
“Guns go long…”
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