Photo By Chief Petty Officer Elizabeth H. Bordelon | Members of the Joint Task Force - National Capital Region Inaugural Staff salute...... read more read more
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First days are tough.
What should I wear? Where do I have to go? What are the other people going to be like? Who will I eat lunch with?
WASHINGTON - Everyone knows how it feels to be the new kid. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first day of school, the first day at a new job, or the first day of a new military assignment – the emotions are the same -- anxiety, uncertainty and a twinge of panic. You feel like you are suddenly in the big leagues and wonder if you are really, truly ready for it.
I had a first day of my own last week. Bright and early Thursday morning, I reported to orientation for the Joint Task Force – National Capital Region Presidential Inaugural Staff. JTF-NCR, a joint service command located in Washington, DC, is charged with coordinating all military ceremonial support for the 57th Presidential Inauguration, which is slated to take place in January 2013. The staff represents an integrated force of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, proudly serving their country at home and around the world.
My whirlwind morning began at Fort Lesley J. McNair. Fitting, as this would be my home for the next two-and-a-half months. The orientation, designed to be a crash course in everything inaugural, may be the first time service members have seen the amount of effort and the many groups that play a part in Inauguration Week. By January, the JTF-NCR will be coordinating the participation of more than 5,000 service members in inaugural events through their 176 staff members.
Military involvement in presidential inaugurations dates back to 1789, when George Washington began his inaugural journey from Mount Vernon, Va., to New York City, with local militias joining his procession as it passed through towns along the way. Fast forward a couple hundred years. Military support now consists of musical units, marching bands, color guards, salute batteries and honor cordons. This tradition of military participation has grown into one of the largest public celebrations of democracy in the world.
After a quick presentation from the deputy commander on the role of the JTF-NCR, we were hustled onto a waiting bus and whisked across the Potomac to Joint Base Myer – Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va. There, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Michael S. Linnington, the commander of the JTF-NCR, and his senior enlisted advisor, U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. David Turnbull, gave us an official welcome to the command and spent time giving each of us insight into the scope of our involvement in the inauguration period. Sgt. Maj. Turnbull was an especially great resource, as he had spent time working on inaugural staffs as both a junior and senior enlisted member. If anyone knew what was in store for me the next three months, it would be the sergeant.
Next on the agenda was observing a formal retirement ceremony. Joint Base Myer is home, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), the Army’s oldest infantry unit, and The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own,” whom rendered honors to more than 30 retiring service members. This was kind of a sneak peek into what was to come in January. The music, the uniforms, the pomp and circumstance…this was just the tip of the iceberg. All these elements and more would be utilized during the inaugural period. These were things I had seen in pictures and on television, but to see them in real life was a completely different story. This was a fitting farewell to a special bunch of soldiers who had contributed more than 650 years of service to this nation.
After the ceremony, we marched across the street to the John C. McKinney Caisson Stables. The stables house all the horses used for ceremonial military events in the Military District of Washington. A staff of Army infantry members and civilian personnel operate the stable 365 days a year, handling all the horses needs -- from shoeing the horses to crafting the leather on their equipment to performing veterinary care.
Back on the bus, we were joined by Joint Base Myer historian Kim Holien. Holien, a long-time area resident, was a wealth of information, pointing out notable sites and recounting interesting anecdotes as we wound along the neatly manicured grounds. Established as a military post during the Civil War, Joint Base Myer is a rich tapestry of military history. I had never known it’s considered to be the birthplace of military aviation -- the base was the utilized by the Wright brothers in 1908 and 1909 during test flights for the Army. A quaint chapel built by Gen. George Patton rests besides the low brick wall separating the base from the rolling hills of Arlington National Cemetery. The entire site sits on land that once belonged to the infamous Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Holien showed us many historic monuments and gravesites, regaling us with their stories as we entered the cemetery and made our way to our next destination.
Orientation organizers had arranged for our group to get a behind-the-scenes look at the ceremonial Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We were able to observe the ceremony and then treated to a private tour of the quarters beneath the monument.
Our guide offered insight into what it takes to become a member of an elite group of individuals tasked with one of the most prestigious ceremonial assignments in any branch of the military.
With our tour complete, it was time to make our way back to Fort McNair. The bus rolled through the city, which flashed past my face, pressed against the picture windows of the bus, as Holien explained the significance of landmarks and the subtleties in the artistry of some of the monuments. As I walked from the bus back to my office that afternoon it struck me. This January, I am taking part in an event that celebrates the largest peaceful exchange of power on the planet. When I hit the parade route in the early morning hours of Jan. 21, 2013, I will be walking in the footsteps of the heroes of American history. Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt…the heroes that made it possible for me to be here today. The eyes of the world will be upon our nation as we make history and I will have a front row seat.
To learn more about upcoming events or military involvement in the 57th Presidential Inauguration visit the JTF-NCR website at www.dvidshub.net/units/JTF-NCR or Facebook at www.facebook.com/jointtaskforceNCR#!/jointtaskforceNCR .
| Date Taken: | 11.15.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2012 14:07 |
| Story ID: | 98241 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, DC, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, First Day in the big leagues, by CPO Elizabeth H. Bordelon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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