I shot a few rounds off in the Eureka City limits...

[imported_booknut]

and I was thanked for it!
This was out of an old 1903 military rifle.
This was for a memorial service honoring a Vet.

The local Honor Guard groups in Humboldt County are struggling to have enough folks show up to funerals and memorials.
I know one civilian who bugles for them.
I was talked into volunteering for a memorial service last week.
I was very happy I did so, afterwards.

If anyone here has daytime hours available, you might consider contacting your local VFW or other Vet group to see if they need help.

I haven't done any rifle drills since 1979, but it all came back rather quickly.
The rifle squad had a mix of active duty Coast Guard(2), Retired Army(2), National Guard(1), and former Army(me).
We had a bugler who used an electronic bugle...weird! But it worked really well.

We all wore Army black berets, the 'civilian vets' wore kahki pants and a nice shirt with nice shoes.

I held and shot my first 1903, that day. I learned something about how they work too.

I have been asked to help again at a funeral this Thursday.
I think I can make it.

[imported_DULLYJAY]

[Pulsar]

Good to know my home town hasn't completly lost it yet.

[_dk6@excite.com]

booknut, does the Coast Guard still have a base on the north spit?
I spent a couple years there from 1970 to 1972.
BTW, thanks for taking the time for the funeral.

[Pulsar]

Yeah they still do, and another base at the airport in Mckinleyville. I only moved out of the area about a month ago for school.

[imported_booknut]

Sorry, I was incommunicado for a bit...
The places that I know of where you can find the Coast Guard are:
The North Spit
McKinleyville(at the airport)
The Marina at Woodley Island
and
living in Ferndale (some of them anyway).

I found it interesting that I used to have a real hard time hearing taps, but now that I'm part of the service, it doesn't bother me as much.

[icormba]

Actually... a couple years back I used to live on Winchester Blvd. (in the middle of Santa Clara) next to Lima Family Mortuary across from the old "catholic" cemetery.

One afternoon I was sitting in my little apartment watching t.v. when I heard 3-4 VERY loud bangs!! I actually hit the floor because I knew what it was. A few seconds later (seemed like minutes) I got up and peeked out the window. There stood 3 or 4 Honor guard (looked like Marine uniforms?) soldiers about to shoot another couple blanks from their M14's into the air right outside my window. ok... it was more like 40 yards away, but still.

It was kinda cool & I was glad it wasn't something or someone else!! not that this has anything to do with this post.

[imported_dadoody]

You guys ever read up the BIOs of the guys who raised the "Iwo Jima" flag? Saddest thing I've ever read. Especially that Ira Hayes guy.

[Bumper]

During the early 60s I was stationed at Ft. Benning, GA. About once per month I would be assigned to a burial detail. We wore dress uniforms and spit-shined boots with white laces. The rifles we fired for the 21-gun salute were M-14s. There was a limit on how far we could travel and we would always be back at the base by dinner time.

Some of the deceased were veterans of the Spanish-American War but most were veterans of WWI. Tho, once in a while the late veteran had served in either WWII or the Korean War or both.

It's an honor to have served on those details, which paid respect to our veterans and their families and friends. The people attending those funerals were moved by the ceremony, which included the playing of Taps, a 21-gun salute and the presentation of the flag to a family member or a friend of the deceased.