MANHATTAN, N.Y. - The Army Reserve’s 99th Regional Support Command deployed its Rifle Team to the Memorial Day event held May 27 at New York City’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
“For this mission, we started [planning] two months ago,” explained Sgt. 1st Class Edwin Ruiz, noncommissioned officer in charge of the 99th RSC Rifle Team. “We started fresh with a new team, with rehearsals twice a week until the last week when we rehearsed three days a week.”
The soldiers comprising the 99th RSC Rifle Team traveled from their headquarters at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., to provide a three-volley rifle salute at the annual event.
“We have one of the largest Memorial Day ceremonies here in the country, and it would not be the same without representation from active military, and the Rifle Team adds something extra, something special,” explained Luke Sacks, director of public relations for the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
The Intrepid’s Memorial Day event honors service members from all conflicts and branches of service who paid the ultimate price in defense of their nation.
“Here at the Intrepid, we try to honor our heroes every day, but really we cannot do enough to say thank you,” Sacks explained.
The soldiers who volunteered to be part of the 99th RSC Rifle Team also said, ‘Thank you,” by participating in the Intrepid’s Memorial Day event.
“It’s an honor to do something like this, not only for our fallen comrades but to show the nation that we’re here for them,” Ruiz said.