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Renew Deal

(81,861 posts)
Sat Sep 1, 2018, 09:35 PM Sep 2018

Military uniforms at McCains funeral

I think I can identify all of the uniforms in this picture except one. Which branch is the guy behind McCain's casket from? What does the blue and gold ribbon on his hat mean? I'm assuming he isn't Space Force.


21 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Military uniforms at McCains funeral (Original Post) Renew Deal Sep 2018 OP
I believe Army.... Pachamama Sep 2018 #1
From the looks an Army Ranger. Anon-C Sep 2018 #2
Is there a reason his uniform is different from the other two Army guys? Renew Deal Sep 2018 #3
He's a Captain, an officer. The pallbearers are enlisted men Brother Buzz Sep 2018 #11
Yes, that's an Army infantry officer uniform Crabby Appleton Sep 2018 #4
Uniforms of the pallbearers jmowreader Sep 2018 #5
Holding Mrs. McCain's hand: Son and Army enlisted whistler162 Sep 2018 #6
"Middle: Navy enlisted, can't tell rank" yortsed snacilbuper Sep 2018 #8
Thanks for the thorough detail Renew Deal Sep 2018 #14
The unit that did this funeral is VERY high profile jmowreader Sep 2018 #15
The Old Guard MrScorpio Sep 2018 #19
The Air Force guy was a Staff Sergeant I believe MrScorpio Sep 2018 #18
Did you post this just to make a "space force" joke? oberliner Sep 2018 #7
as good a reason as any nt msongs Sep 2018 #10
No Renew Deal Sep 2018 #12
Infantry cap braid Quemado Sep 2018 #9
Thanks Renew Deal Sep 2018 #13
Oh, and by the by... jmowreader Sep 2018 #16
That's US Army dress blue; the light blue band on his cap signifies infantry Spider Jerusalem Sep 2018 #17
The Marine got promoted from Cpl to Sgt DeminPennswoods Sep 2018 #20
He is related to a friend of mine AwakeAtLast Sep 2018 #21

Renew Deal

(81,861 posts)
3. Is there a reason his uniform is different from the other two Army guys?
Sat Sep 1, 2018, 09:42 PM
Sep 2018

The eagle and ribbons are different.

Crabby Appleton

(5,231 posts)
4. Yes, that's an Army infantry officer uniform
Sat Sep 1, 2018, 09:50 PM
Sep 2018

The others are enlisted men. The light blue on the hat and shoulder rope indicates infantry.

jmowreader

(50,560 posts)
5. Uniforms of the pallbearers
Sat Sep 1, 2018, 10:09 PM
Sep 2018

Left side of frame

Front person: Marine sergeant
Middle: Air Force enlisted, can't tell rank
Rear: Navy enlisted, can't tell rank

Right side of frame:

Front person: Army staff sergeant
Middle: Navy enlisted, can't tell rank
Rear: Coast Guard enlisted

Commander of the detail (immediately behind casket): Army captain

Beside captain and behind Coast Guardsman: Marine, can't tell rank

Holding Mrs. McCain's hand: Army enlisted

Directly behind her: Navy, probably an officer

Two troops at far edges of the frame: Army enlisted

The captain has been to Ranger School - the little arch-shaped device between his Combat Infantry Badge and his Parachutist wings is a Ranger tab - but that's a requirement for all infantry officers.

There are so many Army guys there because the unit responsible for conducting military funerals in the National Capitol Region is the 3rd United States Infantry (The Old Guard), an Army unit. He has two sailors carrying his casket because in a joint-service funeral like this one, the servicemember's branch always gets to provide the sixth pallbearer.

As an aside, I wonder how hard it was to find a Marine sergeant and an Army sergeant who look as much alike as those two guys in the front rank do.

Renew Deal

(81,861 posts)
14. Thanks for the thorough detail
Sun Sep 2, 2018, 12:55 AM
Sep 2018

Imagine what it’s like to join the military and get such a high profile assignment. You never know what life is going to bring, and something like this has to be very special. Probably a lot of proud parents for those guys.

jmowreader

(50,560 posts)
15. The unit that did this funeral is VERY high profile
Sun Sep 2, 2018, 02:45 AM
Sep 2018

These are the same troops who do the Tomb of the Unknowns Guard detail.

My drill sergeant was a Tomb guard. There's a badge you get when you qualify to be a Tomb guard, and you wear it the rest of your career. One of our number was brave enough to ask about the 3rd US Infantry, and he was happy to tell us: You have to go to a special unit school for each of the duties you want to do. If you want to be a funeral person, you go to funeral school and they train you in both pallbearer and rifle salute. If you want to walk the Tomb detail, that gets pickier...there are height and weight restrictions (not less than six feet tall - I'm 5-9 so I'd never make it), no glasses, a natural military bearing...they have auditions just to get into the school and then you have to train and train to be perfect enough to do the job.

Renew Deal

(81,861 posts)
12. No
Sun Sep 2, 2018, 12:52 AM
Sep 2018

I posted it because I had trouble IDing the one guy. You don’t get to see stuff like this every day

Quemado

(1,262 posts)
9. Infantry cap braid
Sat Sep 1, 2018, 10:33 PM
Sep 2018

To answer your question re the blue and gold ribbon on the hat of the officer behind the casket.

 

Spider Jerusalem

(21,786 posts)
17. That's US Army dress blue; the light blue band on his cap signifies infantry
Sun Sep 2, 2018, 03:04 AM
Sep 2018

as do the crossed rifles on his lapels and the light blue cord on his right shoulder; he also has the Combat Infantry Badge and jump wings with a Ranger tab (he's in an Airborne division; you can tell because he's also wearing the French fourragere on his left shoulder; the 101st and 82nd were awarded the French fourragere after the Normandy invasion in 1944); and he's a captain (he has captain's bars on his shoulder boards).

DeminPennswoods

(15,286 posts)
20. The Marine got promoted from Cpl to Sgt
Sun Sep 2, 2018, 07:03 AM
Sep 2018

during the time he carried the casket at the beginning of the week and Sat.

AwakeAtLast

(14,130 posts)
21. He is related to a friend of mine
Sun Sep 2, 2018, 03:31 PM
Sep 2018

They are very proud of him in this role. My friend is Republican, but not a Trumper, so there's that.

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