BAND OF BROTHERS

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother;” - Shakespeare

Mathew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” KJV

Yesterday we were in Prineville, OR celebrating the life of Carla’s brother-in-law, Gary.  He is a Christian and the stories about his life here on earth reflected that dedication, as well as his love of family and cars.  Good, humorous, stories telling the story of this remarkable man.

At the beginning of the ceremony the Band of Brothers, from Prineville, held a military ceremony in the best traditions of the military.

I had never heard of the group, neither had Norm, so I cornered one of the Team Leaders to learn more about them. 

They were founded in Prineville about 6 years ago.  He had been with them for the last 3 years.  He said they are not part of a national group (and he had never heard of any,) but there is a group in Redmond and one in Bend.

They are made up of veterans, both retirees and those that served just one tour of duty, from our military and all branches are represented.  They perform the ceremony at any and all veteran funerals, if asked.  This group will be going to Rogue River, OR to conduct a ceremony in a few days – which is a LONG ways from Prineville.

Gary served in the Navy well over 50 years ago, but it didn’t matter, what matters was he served and that qualified him for their respect and willingness to be there for him and the family.

Prineville is a relatively small community – although twice the size that I remember 50 years ago it is still only about 6000 people.  Yet, this was the third service this group served that day.  There were a minimum of 15 and probably closer to 20 men and one woman who participated in the ceremony.

Every flag, of every branch, the POW/MIA flag, and of course the American flag were in the presentation of the colors.  That was 9 of the members.  There was a gun salute and taps – performed outside, that was at least 4 members.  There were 2 bagpipe players, another 2 and quite possibly a person or two I may have missed.

In addition, because he was a Navy Veteran, two Navy men in dress blues (I was not in the military so the insignias didn’t help me identify rank, but they were at the very least non-coms) performed the flag ceremony.

While the Band of Brothers wore their service insignias on their suntan shirts – their uniform – military rank was not considered in the designation of who was in charge, everyone was called Mister, not sure about the young lady.

The team leader I talked to was a First Sergeant; one of the rank and file was a Major.

The team leader told me that they were qualified to actually perform the flag ceremony in the name of the country.  They had to undergo a training program that included how each fold represented something, how it must be done correctly every time.  He was quite proud of the fact that they could serve the family and country in that manner.

Most citizens know the Band of Brothers designation belongs to the military – as stressed in the HBO Mini-Series, Band of Brothers.

But few realize that it is a group that includes the millions of service men and women, from every branch of the service no matter the length of time served.  They signed the blank check saying they would defend this country even to their death and that is all that is needed.

I am thankful for these dedicated men and women.  In a day when far too many of us did not serve and, there are a number that denigrate our military, they don’t forget and they want to honor every veteran that served. 

May God Bless them.

Later, Art (-: