By: Libby Lye, Nicole England, and Lucia
WASHINGTON — Against the backdrop of the Washington National Cathedral, a sea of white, blue and tan overwhelm the typically bare gothic steps. Servicemen from all branches of the U.S. Military march in unison for bi-annual state funeral training. Eyes rest on the flag-wrapped casket which could someday hold a head of state.
“You know how President Carter and then President Bush are getting up there in age? In case one of them passes this is the training for that so the funeral can go smoothly” said Sargent Zach Bartlett.
The planning for this event takes months due to the high level of coordination needed between the different branches. The constant rotation of chain-of-command in the U.S. Armed Forces makes continuity indispensable.
“This [practice is] in June, so we started planning for this in April,” said Captain Teresa Ovalle, a public affairs specialist. “We start really pulling our key leaders together and start getting the specifics down for this training endeavor.”
Andrews Air Force Base serves as the starting point for the presidential funeral procession to Washington, D.C., often by horse-drawn carriage. The body then lies in-state for public viewing and is later escorted to the National Cathedral for the funeral service where world leaders gather in reverence. The motorcade then departs the cathedral for Andrews where the president is transported for a private burial service.
These elaborate ceremonies work to honor the leaders who have represented the nation, and therefore many traditions need to be followed precisely and flawlessly.
“This is like a mini inauguration,” said John Lease, the lead law enforcement coordinator. “When we do a procession, it’s putting the casket on, the case on and moving it down Constitution Avenue with a parade with all the folks lined up.”
The gravity of the ceremony requires collaboration and precision among the 150 service members present at the
training.
“We definitely all work together. Different services will have a different role,” said Captain Teresa Ovalle, a public affairs officer for the Joint Force Headquarters.
“For instance, the Army is the senior service, so they’re going to be the expert for all the ceremonial pieces.
“For another example, the Marines are all the drivers for the motorcade you would see for a real state funeral, so the services divide up into different tasks, but it’s really a joint effort,” Ovalle continued.
Specialization within the tasks is needed to allow the funeral to run smoothly, but with essential roles like the team who bears the casket, “all branches are represented,” Ovalle said.
The importance of this situation leads to solidarity between the branches and causes them to prioritize the mission.
“The difference about this level of funeral is that it’s a joint mission, which means it’s not one priority of the services, it’s a priority for each of the services to come together and to work together,” Ovalle said.
In this spirit of unity, the men and women of the United States Armed Forces display honor and humility.
“It’s a humbling experience,” Seaman Powell of the U.S. Navy said, “I’m honored, actually, to be able to be here and not a lot of people get the opportunity.”