Kelly recalls time in Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Honor Guard
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PARKERSBURG -- "How did I ever get here?"
Delegate John Kelly, R-District 10, said he asked himself that question when he worked at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as a member of the Air Force Honor Guard from December 1968 until February 1971.
Last week, Veterans Day was also a day to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first burial at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Va. Kelly attended a ceremony at Sunset Memory Gardens where he spoke about his experiences working as an Honor Guard member.
The Honor Guard, at the time, was a 150-person unit in the Air Force.
"You had to be nominated. I was nominated in late February (or) early March of '68. I didn't receive my orders until November of 1968 so they put you through so much of an investigation (and) it takes a tremendous security clearance," he said. "We had to be able to carry a weapon and stand beside the President."
As a member of the Air Force Honor Guard, Kelly worked at the White House about once a week.
"I actually carried the Air Force flag in President (Richard) Nixon's Joint Service Color. If we had a dignitary coming to the White House from one of the foreign countries, I was there," Kelly said.
He served at the ceremony held when President Dwight D. Eisenhower passed away at Washington National Cathedral, which Kelly said was the most memorable ceremony in which he participated.
"I was actually inside the main cathedral during his service. The heads of every friendly nation in the world were represented in that room. It was phenomenal," he said.
Today, Kelly views his service and position as an honor and wonders how he was among the 150 people selected.
"I was honored to be there, my wife was honored to be there," he said.
Kelly attended a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where he was posted on the marble steps just below the Tomb. The Israeli Prime Minister at the time was delayed and Kelly stayed at attention on the steps for about two hours before they were told the ceremony would be rescheduled for the next day.
"The step wasn't wide enough for us to move our feet, we had to keep them right there together," he said.
Some of the members of the Honor Guard at the time were upset about that and Kelly said a few years later, the Prime Minister wrote a book and included an apology to all the members of the Honor Guard whom she had left standing at attention.
"That all made it okay. That was just one of the more memorable services that I did," Kelly said.
During his time in the Honor Guard, Kelly also took part in military funerals during the Vietnam era which took place about four or five times a day.
"It was an experience very few people get to do. Today, I'm still honored by it. I still belong to the Air Force Honor Guard Association and we get together about every five years. We have a reunion in Washington and I attend," Kelly said. "I've had two things in my life that have brought considerable honor; one was being selected as a member of the United States Air Force Honor Guard. The other is being elected to serve the people in the West Virginia State Legislature."
Kelly encourages people to attend the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to witness the hallowed grounds and the changing of the guards.
"If you've never been to the Tomb before, it's worth a trip. It's phenomenal, it's sacred. It's just a wonderful experience to watch. There's so much history about the Tomb and it's hallowing to somebody who has been there to go back and watch it and know I actually worked there. It's just a great experience," Kelly said.
With his experience in the Honor Guard and his time working in the state legislature, Kelly is grateful for the opportunities.
"If I never get to do anything else, I've been blessed by some of the things I've been asked to be a part of and selected to be a part of," he said.
Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.