The Old Guard

One of the things in my past that I'm most proud of is serving in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). I served for 3 years from '93 - '96 as the Regimental Chaplain Assistant. They have really strict selection guidelines and I was selected for the honor straight out of chaplain school and it was a teriffic assignment. The Old Guard is the official ceremonial unit of the Army and official escort to the President of the United States. Their mission includes funerals at Arlington Cemetery, White House arrival ceremonies, guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns, Army Drill Team, Caisson Platoon, Army Fife & Drum Corp, and more. While their primary role is ceremonial, they are also an active infantry unit.

This is on my mind because the Military Channel aired a special the other day that highlighted The Old Guard and I got to show it to my kids yesterday. It was neat to show them exactly what Daddy did in the Army. I even got out my old uniform and medals and such and they thought that was pretty cool, too.

I found out today there is an Old Guard Association for former members. Here's a link to a really good Old Guard video they put together.