Competition refines TOG's ceremonial support

By Guv CallahanSeptember 19, 2014

Competition refines TOG's ceremonial support
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Competition refines TOG's ceremonial support
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Competition refines TOG's ceremonial support
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Soldiers in the Army's 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) are responsible for laying to rest those who have served the nation, a centuries-old tradition that affects the families and friends of service members across the country.

In order to do this job effectively, Old Guard Soldiers must remain experts in the intricacies of their ceremonial duties.

To that end, the 1st Battalion of the The Old Guard participated in a memorial affairs training and evaluation program (MATEP) competition from Sept. 8 to 12 to determine and award the best teams in the battalion.

Casket teams, colors teams, escorts and firing parties gathered under the sun on the Fort Myer portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall throughout the week to execute their ceremonial duties without variances so that testers could determine what teams met the standard best, and through these repetitions, increase the proficiency of the battalion as a whole.

During an awards ceremony and celebratory barbeque following the competition's conclusion Sept. 12, Lt. Col. David S. Taylor, battalion commander, said he was proud of his battalion's camaraderie and professionalism.

"I've been in the Army 17, 18 years now, and seen lots of various units," he said. "This is a very unique infantry unit, between the missions you do down in ANC and the missions when you go down to AP Hill or Quantico. But what's most unique - and you could see it this week on the field - is the camaraderie and brotherhood you guys have. You could see it out on Summerall when you guys were testing - just how well you were synced, just how much working together means to you guys."

Taylor said it was an immense honor, and that he appreciated the work that 1st Battalion Soldiers committed to the week.

"There's really no better honor than to do what we do in the cemetery," he said. "For us to be able to lay our fallen comrades to rest with the honor and dignity they deserve is really just an amazing thing and of all the things I've done it's by far one of the most memorable and honorable and humbling things I've been able to do."

The Old Guard is the oldest active-duty infantry regiment in the U.S., dating back to 1784, according to the unit's official website. The Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall-based unit is comprised of three infantry battalions, and is designated as the Army's official ceremonial unit and escort to the president.

In 2013, The Old Guard provided ceremonial support to 3,300 funerals.

H Company emerged from the MATEP as the overall winner, achieving top scores in three separate categories. A full list of winners is below.

Best escort company - Hotel Company

Best colors team - Hotel Company

Best standard honors casket team - Hotel Company

Best full honors casket team - Bravo Company

Best standard honors firing party - Charlie Company

Best full honors firing party - Delta Company

Overall MATEP winner - Hotel Company