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Post by efg72 on May 25, 2024 18:36:22 GMT -5
Fifty years ago I had the honor to serve this country as an MP assigned to the 3rd Infantry Honor Guard for ceremonies in the DC area, and burials at Arlington Cemetery.
On this weekend one of the events was the Memorial Day Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier- a very moving experience and despite growing up as a military brat, it truly changed how I viewed the world and started to understand and more fully appreciate the gift our parents and families gave future generations.
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Post by rgs318 on May 25, 2024 19:53:22 GMT -5
Thank you for your service.
When I was with the 88th NY Guard honor guard we were privileged to serve with a unit from the 3rd Infantry at several Memorial Ceremonies. They were a sharp, kick-ass bunch and when on their own time were still representatives of the finest this country has to offer.
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Post by gks on May 26, 2024 13:29:58 GMT -5
Fifty years ago I had the honor to serve this country as an MP assigned to the 3rd Infantry Honor Guard for ceremonies in the DC area, and burials at Arlington Cemetery. On this weekend one of the events was the Memorial Day Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier- a very moving experience and despite growing up as a military brat, it truly changed how I viewed the world and started to understand and more fully appreciate the gift our parents and families gave future generations. Thank you for your service. I can sit and watch the guards at the Tomb of The Unknowns for hours. A truly humbling place.
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Post by efg72 on May 26, 2024 19:30:43 GMT -5
Thanks for the generous and kind words, but I think of my opportunity as a gift my country offered me to give back, even for a brief moment. And you are right, the ceremony at the Tomb is incredibly special and a unique experience we should all have on our list of must attend.
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Post by efg72 on May 26, 2024 19:37:18 GMT -5
Thank you for your service. When I was with the 88th NY Guard honor guard we were privileged to serve with a unit from the 3rd Infantry at several Memorial Ceremonies. They were a sharp, kick-ass bunch and when on their own time were still representatives of the finest this country has to offer. You are right about the members of this unit and they are true patriots. Today, if you watch the TV mass from the Basillica at Catholiic University you will see a number of them serving mass.
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Post by efg72 on May 27, 2024 13:46:27 GMT -5
Society of the Honor Guard Website
A Memorial Day poem: "Just A Common Soldier..." 9 years ago Larry Vaincourt's classic poem was first published in his 1987 Remembrance Day newspaper column. There are several incorrect versions of this poem circulating the web; below you'll find the original text.
Just A Common Soldier
(A Soldier Died Today)
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?
A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.
--A. Lawrence Vaincourt
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Post by hc6774 on May 28, 2024 6:57:20 GMT -5
My memories go to classmates from the Vietnan era. Two, Air Force & Navy aviators, died in Colorado & California within 2 years of graduation.
Another factoid that struck me this year is that more than half of the unrecovered remains dating back to WWII were lost at sea.
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