Sometimes, we do not
see signs that are directly in front of us. We often hear others making fun
of those who asked a question that was answered on a sign that
was in plain view. I understand how this can happen. The simple answer is that
no one always looks around for signs that might have answers to questions that
might arise. I think that the question, "What does my community have to do
with war memorials?" is one of those questions that would have an obvious answer
for many and would not have an obvious answer for the rest. For the rest, this
is the main reason Memorial Day exists - and the answer has a lot to do
with every community.
On September 11, 2001, I was employed by a consulting company that frequently subcontracted its employees for Federal agency contracts. One or two days after this time of horrible declaration of war against the United States, one of my coworkers quit his lucrative job to join the military. For him, the sign was obvious that his national and local communities were threatened. Having been in the Infantry and having studied gorilla warfare myself, it was also clear to me that it would be very easy for relatively few terrorists to disable the entire country by focusing on micro-geographical areas such as street corners within communities. I had not had a rifle before, because my wife was afraid of guns; my understanding of what could happen and what then was too likely to risk overrode her fear - I bought a rifle and hoped that most citizens had at least one gun. I also educated my immediate family members as to what could happen and how to react, based on my military education. Some things I chose to keep to myself because it might cause more anxiety than anything else, since my loved ones would not likely know how to react anyway to some forms of attack.
In spite of the great losses of September 11, 2001, you and I are still extremely fortunate in that we do not have to live with fighting, death, and loss of property because of a war engaged outside our front doors, as many other countries suffer even as I write this article today. Why is this? The answer is the reason for our Memorial days. The answer is that we must remember the lesson, the wisdom, that we must pay attention to and, sometimes, react to problems across the globe. If we are too selfish to help others around the globe for the moral reason, then there is still plenty of room to motivate ourselves to help for the selfish reason, which is to prevent the horror of war happening literally on our streets and in our homes.
There are two categories of memorial we are to consider on Memorial Day: The first category regards those who lost for the gain of others. The second memorial regards the particular reason for which veterans sacrificed their time, comforts, limb, and life. I believe one is greater than the other.
Let me give you an example that might help us all in understanding how one is greater. Let's imagine your home had no fence around it, you had little children who should be able to play freely and safely around your home, and your neighbors often warned you about wolves in the area. You did nothing to rid the wolves and did nothing to keep the wolves out of your yard. You kept saying to yourself, "That's their problem, not mine." One day, one of the neighbors who had been warning you about the threat of wolves saw a couple wolves about to attack your children. The neighbor used a nearby garden tool and somehow fought and luckily was able to kill both wolves before the wolves could have reached your home and your children. The man who protected your family unfortunately had to lose part of one arm. Out of appreciation, the town held a ceremony to thank the man. You, as a parent of the spared children, also thanked the man. A year later, with still no fence and still no action to rid the wolves, two other wolves from the same pack were seen approaching your children by the same neighbor. Your neighbor again fought the wolves. Unfortunately, in his reduced ability to defend anyone, including himself, he was killed by the wolves, which were able to advance toward and do the same to your children.
I hope that everyone can see that, without considering the second kind of memorial, the why, all would be lost. If the family who lost their children in the example above had dealt with the why, the neighbor and the children would have kept their lives and the entire community would have been spared a debilitating amount of grief. The neighbor would not have lost his limb in vain.
Even though President Roosevelt tried to keep the United States out of getting involved in a war somewhere else, he soon could not avoid the signs directly in front of him that stated that the best reaction was to stop the enemy immediately. How naive those in Congress were to cheer when the President announced that the US was not going to get involved in someone else's war! His delay actually caused more loss of United States community lives, as well as those of our loved ones abroad, because Hitler had increased his death machine while we cheered with naivety; additionally, Japan was watching our weak, dissociated policy with the global community, became emboldened, and attacked the United States on its very streets and homes in Hawaii. Yes, there are many precious benefits in dealing with problems immediately. In the why for aggression, dealing with the bully on the block early means fewer lives lost.
Let us remember that no community is an island unto itself. We have no alternative to paying attention to those in the entire world who have chosen to become the bully on the block. Our sons and daughters, wives and husbands, and fathers and mothers who have chosen not to say "it's not my problem" and have fought for our global neighbors have been the wisest and most generous of all citizens, for they are also keeping the horrors from our streets. And that, my readers, is the why that, if remembered, keeps those who have sacrificed from having sacrificed in vain.
My Memorial Day Experiences While Stationed in Washington, D.C.
I would like to take this opportunity to share how I helped our nation remember our veterans and civilian victims while serving in The Old Guard, which was the Official Ceremonial Unit and Escort to the President. While serving in that unit, I served in Alpha Company of this Unit for three years. The Old Guard at that time, 1980 to 1983, had six companies. Five companies (Alpha through Echo) were uniquely tasked for ceremonial and escort purposes. The sixth company, H (Hotel or Headquarters), contained the Caissons (for carrying caskets and drawing them using horses) and the Salute Battery (21 gun salutes using artillery). Echo Company had the special tasks of providing the Drill Team and the Color Guard. Alpha Company (mine) had the additional special task of reenacting the ways of the Continental Army. My company had the special designation, "The Commander-in-Chief's Guard."
Yes, we actually had to learn an entirely different set of marching and maneuvering methods (called manual) and we actually had to learn how to fire, disassemble, clean, and reassemble the musket, which had to be kept as spotless as the M-14s we used in our ceremonies.
Each Company's assigned tasks were also further divided among its platoons. I, for example, was in the firing platoon (for the 21 gun salutes), there was a casket platoon (for carrying the caskets and folding the flag at Arlington National Cemetery funerals), and there was a marching platoon for full honors funerals and for all parades. Each company also had a headquarters platoon that contained a color guard team for various ceremonies, funerals, and parades. About two-thirds of my funerals were off-post (not in Arlington National Cemetery; rather, these occurred in private or community cemeteries).
For every approaching Memorial Day, about half of The Old Guard companies would work hard preparing for Memorial Day ceremonies. For a couple weeks before that day, the company whose turn it was to march up the "tomb" steps before the President would give his Memorial Day speech would practice marching along the lawn leading to the steps and the march up the steps, all in perfect unison across the entire steps. Few civilians take note that there are steps leading up the other side of the Tomb of the Unknowns. We would spend hours just walking toward and up those steps until every step, every arm position, every back position, and every rifle angle was perfect. It seems the "tomb guard" did not continue his routine during these practices. We did not only have the marching to perfect; we also had to repeat the fix bayonets manual over and over until there was only one click for every one of the seven aspects of the process. The larger the group was to synchronize, the more painful the synchronization. This was an entire company. It seems I took part in the Memorial Day Ceremony at the Tomb two of the three years I was in The Old Guard.
Also, in the many days before Memorial Day, we would sift through the thousands of small flags that were stored in huge wooden boxes in order to remove the worn ones and bundle the good ones. Before Memorial Day, we would load the deuce 'n half's (Deuce and a Half, personnel carrying trucks) with these huge boxes. On Memorial Day, we would be ready at 4:00 AM to depart to Arlington Cemetery. Before the sun would have a chance to rise (rain or no rain), the cemetery would be filled with these small flags placed the same distance in front of each tombstone. Each soldier would have a row at a time, place his heel against the tombstone, and plant the flag at his toe. By sunrise, it was quite a sight.
As I said, the entire Old Guard battalion was quite busy on Memorial Day. Many soldiers would have several duties in that one day. One year, I helped several companies of soldiers form a cordon that lined both sides of the main road leading from the main Arlington Cemetery entrance to the Tomb of the Unknowns. This was the path the President's limousines would take. When the President's limousine flew by, we stood at attention and presented arms (saluting with a rifle) as he passed. This became a ripple effect of soldiers coming to attention and raising their rifles all the way up the hill from entrance to destination. We struggled to spot which passenger in the shaded vehicles was the President without letting it be known that we were eyeing the vehicles. I think I was able to spot President Reagan and his wife, Nancy, and it seemed as though they were leaning toward the windows to enjoy the site of hundreds of ceremonially trained soldiers snapping to attention in a smooth sequence. I also should add, as an interesting note, that the Secret Service agents always had their eyes on us, since we had real M-14s that fired real 7.62 mm ammunition. They could not afford to trust anyone with the President's life.
After performing at many hundreds of ceremonies, parades, and funerals, much of our work simply defined a job for us. Sometimes, we would be moved by the heroics of those for whom we offered memorial. From working closely with all those of The President's Escort, I can confidently say each of us had at least one moment when a tear or two would come to our eyes in appreciation for what others had sacrificed since day one in our nation's history.
I served in the US Army four years. In my last year, after the three-year contract was fulfilled in the 3rd US Infantry (The Old Guard), I enjoyed serving the rest of my army tour in the First Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, Texas. jgf
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