In today’s storm. Respect The Old Guard is also posted to Fort Myer, Virginia, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. It is considered one of the highest honors to serve as a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Fewer than 20 percent of all volunteers are accepted for training and of those only a fraction pass training to become full-fledged Tomb Guards. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Guard Identification Badge is the third least-awarded qualification badge of the United States Army; as of July 4, 2020, they number 688, including 23 which have been revoked and 7 "administrative errors". It is preceded by the 15 Military Horseman Identification Badges and the 17 Astronaut Badges.[19][20]
Those guys are truly amazing. It reflects our commitment to the fallen. . Speaking of which, a true story. A few years ago, I got a call out of the blue from the military about my uncle, who I never knew because his plane was shot down in the Pacific in early 1945, and neither his bomber nor the occupants were ever found. I was just three years old. He was my mother's only sibling. I got the call because I was the oldest surviving family.member. The gentleman who called wanted me to know they were still searching and had not given up. I was floored.....and in tears. They also sent me, and my request, all of his military records. He had flown over 30 missions. We show our love and respect for those who serve to protect us in so many wonderful ways.
Wow. Great story. If you read the Rabaul Trilogy by Bruce Gamble, he covers a lot of similar incidents of planes down and people searching forever and only sometimes finding the remains years later. Hope they are able to complete their search for your uncle and his remains.
My dad’s cousin - the golden boy of the family - was shot down in the S. Pacific in a jungle in Papua New Guinea and they searched for him off and on for decades and there was a book about the effort. It was quite a search
