The many faces of the old guard
SMALL American flags flutter in the wind as Soldiers of the nation’s oldest active infantry regiment, the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), place them in front of Soldiers’ gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery.
The pre-Memorial Day ritual is performed by members of the other armed services, too, to honor those interred at Arlington and all service members who have died in the nation’s service.
Created in 1784 as the First American Regiment, The Old Guard was established after the Paris Peace Treaty of 1783, which stipulated that the United States would maintain a military force to protect land west of the Appalachian Mountains.
After the First American Regiment participated in the War of 1812, COL John Miller took command. Because he was ranked third most-senior officer in the Army, the unit designation became the 3rd U.S. Inf., in keeping with Miller’s status, said Kirk M. Heftin, the director of the 3rd U.S. Inf. (The Old Guard) Museum.
The 3rd Inf. played a vital role in the Mexican War in 1846, Heflin said. After taking Mexico City, the unit had the honor of marching at the head of its brigade as the American troops entered the Mexican capital.
“It was there that the Army commander, MG Zachary Taylor, turned to his staff as the 3rd Inf. passed and said, ‘Gentlemen, take off your hats to The Old Guard of the Army,’” said Heflin.
Today The Old Guard, which has proven its worth in battle, has a twofold mission–to protect America’s capital and to pay final tribute to America’s heroes.
“We’re responsible for representing the Army in joint and Army ceremonies, special events and memorial affairs,” said COL Bob Pricone, regimental commander of The Old Guard. “We also have a responsibility to develop junior leaders, to prepare them to go back out to the divisional units.”
And, as a result of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, The Old Guard also supports the Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region in emergencies.
The line companies, A through D, of 1st Battalion, 3rd Inf. Regt., represent The Old Guard in many of the ceremonies and all of the memorial affairs in which The Old Guard participates, and support contingency missions throughout the national capital region.
They include the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard, a company-sized element fashioned after GEN George Washington’s Continental Army. The CINC’s Guard dresses in Revolutionary War-era clothing and demonstrates the weapons and tactics of the time.
Each company goes through a rotational system that dictates what its tasks will be at any given time. “Primary cycle” is when the line companies participate in funeral processions.
When a company is in primary, it is split up between standard funerals and full-honor funerals, with standard funerals consisting of seven to 15 Soldiers, and more than 40 Soldiers for a full-honor funeral, said SGT William R. Fritsche of Co. B.
“We get our weapons early and practice firing for about an hour before a funeral,” said SPC Vance Meier, a member of the firing party of Co. D. “Then we prepare our uniforms and make sure everyone is squared away.
“When we march down to the gravesite, all I can think about is being flawless,” Meier said. “I make sure my weapon is straight and everything is in line. In the summer, I have to use an alternate set of dress blues, because by the end of the day, the first pair is soaked in sweat.”
While much of The Old Guard’s mission involves preparing for and participating in funerals–as does the Caisson Platoon, a unit that uses six horses to pull a flag-draped casket on a black artillery caisson in funeral processions–other of The Old Guard’s assets include the Fife and Drum Corps, the U.S. Army Drill Team, the Continental Color Guard, the Presidential Salute Battery and the Tomb Sentinels who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The Fife and Drum Corps is the only unit of its kind in the Defense Department. Musicians in the unit wear red coats that recall the days of the American Revolution.
Reaching out to the public is a main objective of not only the FDC, but also the drill team, Pricone said.
For more than 45 years, members of the USADT, with their bayonet-tipped 1903 Springfield rifles, have acted as good-will ambassadors for the Army by participating in major military and civic functions.
Soldiers are selected for the team after six months of competitive and rigorous drill practice.
The Presidential Salute Battery, which can also be seen at Arlington National Cemetery firing the final salutes during funerals, also renders honors for visiting foreign dignitaries and heads of state at the White House, the Pentagon and other locations in the nation’s capital.
As the only indirect-fire infantrymen in the regiment, the Guns Platoon is equipped with eight 3-inch, World War II-era anti-tank guns mounted on a 105mm howitzer chassis. Each gun weighs 5,775 pounds and fires 75mm blank shells with 1.5 pounds of gunpowder, said platoon sergeant SFC Danzell Harrell.