Memorial Day, remember the fallen
- Thread starter Concrete Helmet
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- Jun 9, 2014
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- Jun 11, 2014
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- Aug 31, 2014
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- Jun 10, 2014
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I always think of Chase Prasnicki, my high school football teammate who was killed in Afghanistan. Amazing person cut down way way way too damn soon.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...r-army-qb-chase-prasnicki-dies-in-afghanistan
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...r-army-qb-chase-prasnicki-dies-in-afghanistan
- Jun 12, 2014
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A couple weeks ago I was on a flight to Indianapolis with a highly decorated Navy Seal. The two of us were on the plane for very different reasons: I was on the first leg of a long business trip, worrying about the presentations I had to do and already missing my family. He was coming home after serving three tours of duty in Iraq. One last time. In a box in the cargo hold.
This is the second time I’ve seen this scene play out on an airport tarmac as I exited the plane: The family was standing in the rain, weeping, as the casket, draped in the American Flag, rolled down the conveyor. The honor guard, with stiff military bearing, takes the casket, then making the long slow march to the hearse ends it all with one final salute. It gives the viewer the kind of profound sadness and sickness that are rarely encountered together, along with a vague feeling of shame for watching the intimate moment of a grieving family. It also made me angrier than normal at the travesty that has caused the deaths of so many young Americans, as well as the deaths of innocents abroad who have been caught in the literal and figurative crossfire.
Petty Officer Charles Keating IV had an amazing life. He was popular, inspirational, smart and witty. He was a middle and long distance runner at Indiana University. He was from a family that was both famous and infamous. He married his sweetheart just before his final deployment and then he died a hero. On the morning of May 3rd, Keating and his shipmates rushed into an Isis barrage of 100 men, rescuing Kurdish forces who had tried to flee the attack. Before being fatally wounded in the firefight, Charlie Keating saved many lives. His unit, Seal Team 3, held ground long enough to let the Kurds retake the city under siege. That is the “How” of Charlie Keating’s death. The “Why” is so much more infuriating.
We’ve seen the product of our 50 years of interventionism, nation building, and endless meddling and adventuring abroad. To Isis and Al Queda it’s been a perfect recruiting tool for lost souls who have been impacted by our foreign policy. To the intelligence community, it’s “blowback” from drone airstrikes that have killed countless women and children. To an entire section of the world it’s upheaval and fear and death. In Charlie Keating’s case it’s decades of future human potential vanishing in an instant on the battlefield.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice Charles Keating IV.
This is the second time I’ve seen this scene play out on an airport tarmac as I exited the plane: The family was standing in the rain, weeping, as the casket, draped in the American Flag, rolled down the conveyor. The honor guard, with stiff military bearing, takes the casket, then making the long slow march to the hearse ends it all with one final salute. It gives the viewer the kind of profound sadness and sickness that are rarely encountered together, along with a vague feeling of shame for watching the intimate moment of a grieving family. It also made me angrier than normal at the travesty that has caused the deaths of so many young Americans, as well as the deaths of innocents abroad who have been caught in the literal and figurative crossfire.
Petty Officer Charles Keating IV had an amazing life. He was popular, inspirational, smart and witty. He was a middle and long distance runner at Indiana University. He was from a family that was both famous and infamous. He married his sweetheart just before his final deployment and then he died a hero. On the morning of May 3rd, Keating and his shipmates rushed into an Isis barrage of 100 men, rescuing Kurdish forces who had tried to flee the attack. Before being fatally wounded in the firefight, Charlie Keating saved many lives. His unit, Seal Team 3, held ground long enough to let the Kurds retake the city under siege. That is the “How” of Charlie Keating’s death. The “Why” is so much more infuriating.
We’ve seen the product of our 50 years of interventionism, nation building, and endless meddling and adventuring abroad. To Isis and Al Queda it’s been a perfect recruiting tool for lost souls who have been impacted by our foreign policy. To the intelligence community, it’s “blowback” from drone airstrikes that have killed countless women and children. To an entire section of the world it’s upheaval and fear and death. In Charlie Keating’s case it’s decades of future human potential vanishing in an instant on the battlefield.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice Charles Keating IV.
Last edited:
- Feb 13, 2016
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And thank you, Pasty, for your post. They say one picture is worth a thousand words but a well written narrative like yours creates a thousand pictures in one's mind. Gratitude to and tears for the fallen and their loved ones.
- Jun 19, 2014
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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
1. How many steps does the guard take during his
walk across the tomb of the Unknowns
and why?
21 steps:
It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute which
is the highest honor given any military or foreign
dignitary.
2. How long does he hesitate after his about face
to begin his return walk and why?
21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1
3. Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.
4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and, if
not, why not?
He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.
5. How often are the guards changed?
Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.
6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?
For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10' and 6' 2' tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30.
They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the
rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the
uniform or the tomb in any way.
After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.
The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as
they come to a halt.
There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.
The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone nor
watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery .A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are:
President Taft,
Joe Lewis {the boxer}
Medal of Honor winner Audie L. Murphy, the most decorated soldier of WWII and of Hollywood fame.
Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty..
ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington , DC , our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of
the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded
to a service person. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.
God Bless and keep them. We can be very proud of our men and women in the service no matter where they serve.
I have a friend who was one of the honor guards. I asked him about this and most of it is true, but not all. There aren't any barracks under the tomb, they can watch tv, they can curse, and they can drink ("what am I, a Mormon?"), but if they do something really dishonorable later in life (like a felony or something), their pin can be taken away, even after they are retired from military service.
I saw them for the first time on a school field trip when I was in the 7th grade. The way they walked seemed odd to me. My friend explained to me that they did a rolling walk so that the head and bayonet don't bob up and down as they walk. The goal is for the back to be perfectly straight, and the head and bayonet to move perfectly level.
On that trip, another student ducked under a rope at the observation area to get around a knot of other students. Kid might have been 13 years old. The honor guard stopped, turned, took his rifle off his shoulder, and barked at the observers to remain on the other side of the rope. It scared the hell out of all of us but I thought the offending student was going to **** himself right there. His face turned beet red and his eyes welled up. Those dudes don't mess around.
Alex.
- Jun 14, 2014
- 25,397
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Thanks Pasty, for adding such a worthy POV-slant on this "celebrated day" - a nationwide celebrated day
that for our heroes' families we must remember it's horrible. Proven over and over this fact that politicians are
making the decisions where rarely do they have family-member "skin-in-the-game". Such little-thought
decisions are wearing away at the validity and power of our patriotism - our rightfulness to do what we do.
We're repeatedly fighting enemies with those politico-PC prim-proper "rules of endangerment" instead
of the battle-plan = fully destroy the enemy targets to end all the fighting. If Congress can't get on board
with all-out wipe-out of the on-ground evil enemy before a single US young hero gets sent in, then Congress'
shouldn't send our true Americans into such Hell... let them have the "good-life" that young Americans have
right here at peaceful home. "Win at max-cost to the enemy" should be the first "voted-on" requisite put to the
floor of Congress. And a super-majority would be required to go forward with foreign war. For too many years,
with too many sacrificed, the U.S. has moved backward not forward in these foreign battles.
And when the non-participating nations, through the UN, officially protest, then we proudly say "this new
US knows what it's done and what it's doing is for the best - even for all your benefits." Stand strongly towards
right over wrong, Good over Evil.
IMO, at some point in the whole future, the western civilized Nations will be forced to wage an all-out
war on Islam... erase the marching encroaching barbarians. Evil has to be razed across its own landscape.
We now have technological weapons far more effective than atomic bombs = those that destroy in the low
horizontal plane more effective at making the enemy quit. That should be the US overarching war purpose -
make Evil quit.
that for our heroes' families we must remember it's horrible. Proven over and over this fact that politicians are
making the decisions where rarely do they have family-member "skin-in-the-game". Such little-thought
decisions are wearing away at the validity and power of our patriotism - our rightfulness to do what we do.
We're repeatedly fighting enemies with those politico-PC prim-proper "rules of endangerment" instead
of the battle-plan = fully destroy the enemy targets to end all the fighting. If Congress can't get on board
with all-out wipe-out of the on-ground evil enemy before a single US young hero gets sent in, then Congress'
shouldn't send our true Americans into such Hell... let them have the "good-life" that young Americans have
right here at peaceful home. "Win at max-cost to the enemy" should be the first "voted-on" requisite put to the
floor of Congress. And a super-majority would be required to go forward with foreign war. For too many years,
with too many sacrificed, the U.S. has moved backward not forward in these foreign battles.
And when the non-participating nations, through the UN, officially protest, then we proudly say "this new
US knows what it's done and what it's doing is for the best - even for all your benefits." Stand strongly towards
right over wrong, Good over Evil.
IMO, at some point in the whole future, the western civilized Nations will be forced to wage an all-out
war on Islam... erase the marching encroaching barbarians. Evil has to be razed across its own landscape.
We now have technological weapons far more effective than atomic bombs = those that destroy in the low
horizontal plane more effective at making the enemy quit. That should be the US overarching war purpose -
make Evil quit.
- Jun 12, 2014
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In 1991, I participated in the welcome home parade in NYC and DC. The day before the DC parade, we were taken to Arlington. I was telling my friends (fellow soldiers) that I knew the guy changing the Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They didn't believe me.
I followed the guard down, around the building where they go and I was asking the guard at the door (the bugler) if I could enter. He, of course said no way. Then, the guy I knew walked out of a room. I said hey, is your name Hooper. He said, Homer J, how the hell are you? He invited me in and showed me around their offices / waiting area down below the building. He and I were good friends in basic training.
They have camera angles from everywhere, watching the crowd, the guard and everything else. It was really cool.
- Feb 13, 2016
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I wonder what would happen to an immature or disrespectful onlooker who refused to heed the orders of a guard who totes a rifle with a gleaming bayonet attached. And is the gun loaded?
- Jun 19, 2014
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I would assume they are unloaded, but the bayonet is real.
Having seen it myself, I can't imagine an onlooker refusing the heed the guard's commands. If somebody was crazy enough to pull a stunt like that, I imagine the other onlookers would strongly encourage compliance, and I would also assume there are some armed National Park Services folks nearby at all times that would happily arrest the offender.
Alex.
- Jun 10, 2014
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Reminds me of my favorite Tomb of the Unknown video. That voice would haunt my dreams if I were the one getting yelled at.
- Feb 13, 2016
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