Veterans Day

I originally received this in an e-mail from a Navy Buddy of mine in 2003. He was living in the DC area at the time. It refers to Hurricane Isabel, which tore through Virginia, DC and Maryland in September, 2003. I have saved it and usually send it on Veterans Day to everyone whose e-mail address I have. I'd like to share it with the Batavian readers if I may.

Guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns

The Third Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer,VA has the responsibility for 
providing ceremonial units and honor guards for state occasions, White 
House social functions, public celebrations and interments at Arlington 
National Cemetery....and standing a very formal sentry watch at the Tombs 
of the Unknowns. The public is familiar with the precision of what is 
called. "walking post" at the Tombs. There are roped off galleries where 
visitors can form to observe the troopers and their measured step and 
almost mechanical silent rifle shoulder changes. They are relieved every 
hour in a very formal drill that has to be seen to believe. Some people 
think that when the Cemetery is closed to the public in the evening in the 
evening that this show stops. First, to the men who are dedicated to 
this work...it is no show...it is a "Charge of Honor". The formality and 
precision continues uninterrupted all night. During the nighttime, the 
drill of relief and the measured step of the on duty sentry remain 
unchanged from the daylight hours. To these men...these special men, the 
continuity of this post is the key to the honor and respect shown to these 
honored dead, symbolic of all American unaccounted for American combat 
dead. The steady rhythmic step in rain, sleet, snow, hail, hot, 
cold...bitter cold...uninterrupted...uninterrupted is the important part of 
the honor shown.

Last night, while you were sleeping, the teeth of Hurricane Isabel came 
through this area and tore hell out of everything... We have thousands of 
trees down...power outages...traffic signals out...roads filled with down 
limbs and "gear adrift" debris...We have flooding...and the place looks 
like it has been the impact area of an off shore bombardment. The 
Regimental Commander of the U.S. Third Infantry sent word to the nighttime 
Sentry Detail to secure the post and seek shelter from the high winds, to 
ensure their personal safety.

THEY DISOBEYED THE ORDER...During winds that turned over vehicles and 
turned debris into projectiles...the measured step continued. One fellow 
said "I've got buddies getting shot at in Iraq who would kick my butt if 
word got to them that we let them down...I sure as hell have no intention 
of spending my Army career being known as the goddamn idiot who couldn't 
stand a little light breeze and shirked his duty." ....Then he said 
something in response to a female reporters question regarding silly 
purposeless personal risk...."I wouldn't expect you to understand. It's an 
enlisted man's thing."

God Bless the rascal...In a time in our nation's history when spin and 
total bullshit seems to have become the accepted coin-of-the-realm, there 
beat hearts...the enlisted hearts we all knew and were so damn proud to be 
a part of...that fully understand that devotion to duty is not a part time 
occupation. While we slept, we were represented by some damn fine men who 
fully understood their post orders and proudly went about their assigned 
responsibilities unseen, unrecognized and in the finest tradition of the 
American Enlisted Man. Folks, there's hope....The gene that George S. 
Patton, Arleigh Burke and Jimmy Doolittle left us...survives.

On the ABC evening news, it was reported tonight that, because of the 
dangers from Hurricane Isabel approaching Washington DC, the military 
members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were 
given permission to suspend the assignment. They refused. "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.

Although Patton, Burke, and Doolittle were never enlisted men, we can honor them anyway. It's a great story and if you've never seen the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns, it is worth the trip. God bless and keep any vet who reads this and Thank you for your service.