The cold wind is blowing across the wide open terraces with the rows of white stones that top the undulating hills and give testament to the fallen men and women who have given their lives for their country.
Remembrance poppies snuggle in lapels while icy sleet fights for purchase on the already wet cheeks of the family members who have come this dreary, early November afternoon. Everyone is there. Moms and Daddy, Brian, Mart, Trixie and their families as well as childhood friends, Larry and Terry Lynch. And then there is Bobby. Although he wears no rank insignia today, they have all come to witness the recognition of 1st Lieutenant Robert Belden today.
Diana leans close and whispers to both Mart and Trixie. “I keep remembering the five little kids practicing their Jody calls and marching commands.”
(Fade in. Five kids in white tee-shirts, blue jeans and white Keds tennis shoes.)
Forward harch!
Hup two three four.
Hup two three four.
You had a good home but you left
Your Right
You had a good home but you left
your right
Jody was there when you left
your right
your baby was there when you left
your right
Sound off
one two
Sound off
three four
Cadence Count
one two three four
one
two
three four
Fall In!
Atten - shun!
A bout Face!
Leeeft Face
Riiight Face
(Fade out)
Moms lookes over at the group and frowns as Trixie giggles at Diana's memory. Moms frown only made Trixie giggle more as she spoke of her own memory. “I remember how Bobby insisted on being the Drill Sergeant, and he didn’t put up with any stragglers from either set of twins."
Mark groaned. “Yeah, I got so tired of watching Stargate with him because he always complained about the sloppy salute given by Kurt Russell in the movie. Every time, he would say, ‘I don’t care how depressed or disallusioned he was, there isn’t any honest to God career Colonel who would make such a sloppy salute.’
Brian interjected, “And it got even worse after they watched Renaissance Man and started copying all those cadence’s. I think my favorite was Hamlet’s Mama”.
All the Bobwhites begin chanting together,
“Hamlet's mama, she's a queen.
Buys it in the final scene.
Drinks a glass of funky wine.
Now she's Satan's valentine.”
Diana said, “I never would have guessed that would drive Larry to study and then perform Shakespeare.”
Dan broke in, “When Bobby got his first command, I wanted so badly to warn his platoon that he had been practicing drills since he was six years old.”
Jim asked, “Why didn’t you?”
Dan returned with a level look. “Are you kidding me? He scared me. He had grown to be two inches taller than I was and had more muscles than I ever got chopping wood. I had no doubt that if I told tales, he would assign me to KP and make it stick.”
The sudden firing of a twenty-one gun salute at a nearby burial made the young mothers hurry to cover their children's ears and hug the little ones close.
Then Moms twitched Brians sleeve. “You all need to settle down now. They are ready to start."
The whole group drew in their breaths. They all stood a little bit straighter as if they were obeying their baby brothers long ago commands. They watched in awe as Robert Belden took his first turn as a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
As part of the Third United States Infantry Regiment or " Old Guard", he honored the fallen as only one soldier can do for another.
Jody call - cadence rhythm used by soldiers to keep up speed and moral while marching distances.
Stargate - No profit is being made from the mention of this movie or of the starring actor, Kurt Russell.
Renaissance Man - No profit is being made from the mention of this movie.
Members of the Old Guard wear no ranking insignia so as to not outrank the unknown soldiers.