Wyn Delano
WMAL.com
ARLINGTON (WMAL) — A wreath laying ceremony is taking place to commemorate former President William Howard Taft’s 160th Birthday at Arlington National Cemetery today.
Taft, the 27th President of the United States, was the first one to be buried at Arlington and is the only former executive who was both held the office of President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Additionally, as a former president, Taft is also the only Chief Justice to have had a state funeral.
Lt. Col Tyler Wilbanks, is deputy commander of the Old Guard – a ceremonial unit that acts as the official honor guard of Presidents. He explained that for something as ritualistically demanding as this ceremony, they pull out all the stops:
“Its a joint ceremony led by the third infantry regiment, the Old Guard – and that’s with our partners from the Navy Ceremonial Guard, the Air Force Honor Guard, Coast Guard Ceremonial Guard, and of course our partners at the Marine Corps Barracks at 8th & I.”
The 9AM ceremony at Arlington is divided into two parts, says Wilbanks. The first is what is known as a “Cordon” in which all the different honor guards line up one after the other – similar to the inauguration, but on a smaller scale.
Following that, Major General Michael Howard – the Military District of Washington Commander – will lay the wreath at the gravesite.
Its an almost entirely silent, and deeply ritualistic ceremony – and that’s intentional, according to Lt. Col Wilbanks:
“We want to continually remember where we came from and how we got to where we are. Honoring a president that’s passed in years past is just one of those ways that we do that.” he said.
The Old Guard, with this commitment to history in mind, conducts this same ceremony for every former president buried in the Washington area on their birthday – every year.
That means that the graves of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln Taft, Wilson, and Kennedy get a visit from the Old Guard – a sobering realization when one connects that it is the same unit that was present for most of their inaugurations.
Especially now in our current climate of politics, it can be comforting to seek the broader picture – that a president remains a president for life and through death.
As for Taft, who is often overlooked in favor of more famous presidents, it is a chance for younger (and older) Americans to perhaps connect for the first time with his legacy.
In the relatively young United States, events like these help put our current trials in perspective: the nation will move on, and the nation will remember what we leave behind.
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