General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMilitary uniforms at McCains funeral
I think I can identify all of the uniforms in this picture except one. Which branch is the guy behind McCain's casket from? What does the blue and gold ribbon on his hat mean? I'm assuming he isn't Space Force.
Pachamama
(16,887 posts)Anon-C
(3,430 posts)Renew Deal
(81,871 posts)The eagle and ribbons are different.
Brother Buzz
(36,463 posts)Crabby Appleton
(5,231 posts)The others are enlisted men. The light blue on the hat and shoulder rope indicates infantry.
jmowreader
(50,562 posts)Left side of frame
Front person: Marine sergeant
Middle: Air Force enlisted, can't tell rank
Rear: Navy enlisted, can't tell rank
Right side of frame:
Front person: Army staff sergeant
Middle: Navy enlisted, can't tell rank
Rear: Coast Guard enlisted
Commander of the detail (immediately behind casket): Army captain
Beside captain and behind Coast Guardsman: Marine, can't tell rank
Holding Mrs. McCain's hand: Army enlisted
Directly behind her: Navy, probably an officer
Two troops at far edges of the frame: Army enlisted
The captain has been to Ranger School - the little arch-shaped device between his Combat Infantry Badge and his Parachutist wings is a Ranger tab - but that's a requirement for all infantry officers.
There are so many Army guys there because the unit responsible for conducting military funerals in the National Capitol Region is the 3rd United States Infantry (The Old Guard), an Army unit. He has two sailors carrying his casket because in a joint-service funeral like this one, the servicemember's branch always gets to provide the sixth pallbearer.
As an aside, I wonder how hard it was to find a Marine sergeant and an Army sergeant who look as much alike as those two guys in the front rank do.
whistler162
(11,155 posts)slight correction.
yortsed snacilbuper
(7,939 posts)Seaman, E3.
Renew Deal
(81,871 posts)Imagine what its like to join the military and get such a high profile assignment. You never know what life is going to bring, and something like this has to be very special. Probably a lot of proud parents for those guys.
jmowreader
(50,562 posts)These are the same troops who do the Tomb of the Unknowns Guard detail.
My drill sergeant was a Tomb guard. There's a badge you get when you qualify to be a Tomb guard, and you wear it the rest of your career. One of our number was brave enough to ask about the 3rd US Infantry, and he was happy to tell us: You have to go to a special unit school for each of the duties you want to do. If you want to be a funeral person, you go to funeral school and they train you in both pallbearer and rifle salute. If you want to walk the Tomb detail, that gets pickier...there are height and weight restrictions (not less than six feet tall - I'm 5-9 so I'd never make it), no glasses, a natural military bearing...they have auditions just to get into the school and then you have to train and train to be perfect enough to do the job.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)I know, because I used to be billeted at Ft. Myer when I was stationed at the Pentagon
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)msongs
(67,441 posts)I posted it because I had trouble IDing the one guy. You dont get to see stuff like this every day
Quemado
(1,262 posts)To answer your question re the blue and gold ribbon on the hat of the officer behind the casket.
jmowreader
(50,562 posts)Any question you have about Army uniforms can be found in here:
https://www.usi.edu/media/3353508/AR_670-1.pdf
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)as do the crossed rifles on his lapels and the light blue cord on his right shoulder; he also has the Combat Infantry Badge and jump wings with a Ranger tab (he's in an Airborne division; you can tell because he's also wearing the French fourragere on his left shoulder; the 101st and 82nd were awarded the French fourragere after the Normandy invasion in 1944); and he's a captain (he has captain's bars on his shoulder boards).
DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)during the time he carried the casket at the beginning of the week and Sat.
AwakeAtLast
(14,133 posts)They are very proud of him in this role. My friend is Republican, but not a Trumper, so there's that.