HDR 188: Irene’s Bluster, Heroes Who Muster

A lone Tomb Sentinel, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), walks his tour in humble reverence during Hurricane Irene in Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Aug 27. Members of The Old Guard have guarded the Tomb every second, of every day regardless of weather or holidays since April 6, 1948.

ALOHA, ALL!!  Did you get enough coverage of Hurricane Irene?  Yes, I know it was a bad storm and caused damage – I hope all HDR readers and their friends & families are safe.  But give me a break….non-stop 24/7 coverage????  If this storm had happened in the Heartland it would have been covered as a passing story – a headliner on day one then relegated to the back pages.  (GEE….weren’t there terrible floods in Nashville and Iowa this past year?  They sure got a lot of coverage, didn’t they?)  But since it was New York, we heard breathlessly and incessantly about the 3 foot storm surge on Staten Island.  This video link shows the true media absurdity in covering Irene:  Was Irene Mostly Hype? Watch This Video and You Tell Me | All American Blogger  Hopefully, the coverage did make us realize there are some who don’t give a second thought to doing their duties, no matter what the weather conditions.  Most notably, our military.  On the internet, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment got some attention….they guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery.  The picture above is an actual photograph during the onslaught of Irene  in D.C.

Since World War II, “The Old Guard” has served as the official Army Honor Guard and escort to the President. In that capacity, 3rd Infantry soldiers are responsible for conducting military ceremonies at the White House, the Pentagon, national memorials and elsewhere in the nation’s capital. In addition, soldiers of “The Old Guard” maintain a 24-hour vigil at the Tomb of the Unknowns, provide military funeral escorts at Arlington National Cemetery and participate in parades at Fort Myer and Fort Lesley J. McNair.

The black-and-tan “buff strap” worn on the left shoulder by each member of the 3rd Infantry is a replica of the knapsack strap used by 19th-century predecessors of the unit to display its distinctive colors and distinguish its members from other Army units. The present buff strap continues to signify an Old Guard soldier’s pride in personal appearance and precision performance that has marked the unit for 200 years.

A further distinction of The Old Guard is the time-honored custom of passing in-review with fixed bayonets at all parades. This practice, officially sanctioned by the War Department in 1922, dates to the Mexican War in 1847 when the 3rd Infantry led a successful bayonet charge against the enemy at Cerro Gordo. Today, this distinction is still reserved for “The Old Guard” alone.

For those of you on Facebook, you can “Like” The Old Guard’s page HERE.  Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown day and night, during hurricanes, sleet or snow, sure makes a few days without subways seem rather mundane, don’t you think?

Blaming Global Warming in Five, Four, Three, Two….Any day now we’ll hear about how global warming caused Hurricane Irene.  No doubt the greenies will use it to further push their agenda.  Let’s see – what has “green” done for us lately?  Most pertinent, what about all those “green jobs” Barry promised?    Are “Green Jobs” the Answer? – AskHeritage  Accoring to the report, “the President’s promise to create five million green jobs over 10 years has proven to be nothing more than “a pipe dream,” with California’s Bay Area providing a particularly poignant example of how “green” jobs have actually been lost, not gained.”  Nice.  Of course, Al the Goracle just compared global warming skeptics to racists, so we sure don’t want to be on the wrong side of the issue, do we????   Al Gore | Global warming | racists | The Daily Caller  Heck, I think I’ll just head on over to Crazy Pete’s Enviro-Friendly Discount Galleria:  

And Don’t Forget FEMA – They’ll want more money, too:  Lessons from Hurricane Irene   Of course libs are going after Eric Cantor because he…well…just makes sense:    Cantor Demands Common-Sense Spending Cuts in Exchange for More FEMA Aid

Quick Links:  

More Bad News for the Obama Economy | Hawaii Reporter

Articles: Early Obama Letter Confirms Inability to Write

Lockerbie bomber close to death … again? « Hot Air

Obama’s Legacy: A Failed Recovery & Double-Dip Recession – Forbes  (Mahalo to Steve for the link.)

You’re gonna love this one:  Armed federal agents raid Gibson Guitar again, ‘browbeat’ employees – Common American Journal  “What a coincidence! CEO of Gibson Guitar a Republican Donor. And their Democratic-donating competitor, Martin, uses the same wood but wasn’t raided. Well, when you’ve got a President who jokes about tax audits as revenge for a personal slight, it’s hard not to be suspicious, isn’t it?”

And one more Irene wrap-up:  Irene: Deaths, Flooding, Power Losses State-by-State – Businessweek

Final Thought:  “Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God” Inscription on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

GOD BLESS AMERICA – PASS THIS ON – REMEMBER IN 2012!!