Friday, July 27, 2012

221st Missing Man Ceremony ...

Veterans of the 221st .. by1LT Paul Berkowitz: 


I wanted to let everyone know that the “Missing Man Ceremony” held at the 221st Signal Company Reunion on May 9, 2012 has been posted to Vimeo and YouTube.

This was our first such ceremony for the unit. We made every effort to honor our missing brothers in a fitting manner, Bob Fulstone being the key man in that effort for assembling and conducting the event. HUGE THANKS TO BOB !!!

We were particularly grateful to the 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera) which is the current Army Photo unit for sending two of their active duty soldiers TDY to our Reunion in St. Louis. This had to be approved up the chain of command in a time of shrinking resources. It was a tremendous honor paid to our unit and most especially because they welcomed the task, in particular, of taking “video” of the ceremony so that those of our veterans and families not attending could see it.

Also, one of our own, Colonel Keith Essen (formerly Sp5 Keith Essen of Saigon Detachment) did an outstanding job reading the names and giving the Ceremony the right bearing and dignity. Keith was also the key guy in getting the attention of the 55th Signal – and he did it without having to give up a single case of Polaroid or pack of Kodachrome !!