MONDAY IS MEMORIAL DAY!!!

Old Guard, New Veterans Help Us Honor the Fallen

Since 1948, soldiers of the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, have honored those who died in service to our country with an annual "Flags In" ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

On the Thursday prior to Memorial Day, every available soldier in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment participates in the event by placing an American flag in front of more than 220,000 grave sites. Flags also are placed at the Tomb of the Unknowns by the Tomb Sentinels, and at the cemetery's Columbarium where cremated remains are interred. The soldiers complete the process in three hours.

Company E of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment honors its fallen comrades 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They are the Tomb Sentinels, volunteers who undergo a lengthy indoctrination of educational and military preparation in order to earn the honor of a "walk."
The walk
A walk occurs between guard changes at the Tomb of the Unknowns where soldiers dressed in impeccable uniforms patrol in a cadence of 90 steps per minute. Each walk lasts 30 minutes in summer and one hour in winter and during evening patrols.

As a kid, I learned to respect those who serve in the military and to honor my country. Every school day, I recited the pledge. I learned the lyrics to the "Star Spangled Banner." My parents hung Old Glory from a pole attached to a pecan tree on patriotic holidays. Songs like "America, the Beautiful" often made me cry.

My sixth-grade music class performed a pageant designed for waving flags and hailing freedom. Thanks to one of those tunes, I can still sing the states in alphabetical order.
It wasn't until I had children I experienced that pang of patriotism that comes when you realize those who fought and died in service to our country were someone's son or daughter. Until you consider the potential sacrifice of your own flesh, the selflessness of military servicemen and women doesn't really hit home.

Randy and Debbie Rice of Oloh came close to knowing that loss. Their son, Lance Cpl. Aaron Rice serves with the Marine Reserve. Only 21 when he deployed to Iraq with the Ohio-based 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, Aaron suffered numerous injuries and lost his left leg when a mine blast ripped through his Humvee while on a routine patrol. In the Dec. 12, 2005, issue of Sports Illustrated, S.L. Price wrote of Aaron and several other Iraq War veterans who have lost limbs. They ran in the 2005 Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C., on heroic determination.

I remember Aaron and his twin brother, Ryan, who joined the Marines exactly one year after Aaron. The Rice family of seven lived behind us in a rental house while they built a dream home. The boys once stood in my kitchen while Aaron delivered a persuasive soliloquy on how right it would be for them to baby-sit my son and daughter. The young men were 13 going on 35. I can still see them strong, smart and handsome, destined to be great leaders. My son credits them with being two of his favorite role models.

In the magazine photo of Aaron with his prosthetic leg, I see a compelling composite of those we remember on Memorial Day. Aaron and his fellow soldiers are the ones who remind us with living courage the significance of paying homage. It is our chance to acknowledge those who put their lives on the line in defense of democracy, freedom and the inalienable rights of humans everywhere. They are the Americans who make our country one worthy of honor.