((PKG)) PIA – SGT. MICHAEL SKEENS
((Banner: Honoring the Fallen))
((Executive Producer: Marsha James))
((Camera: Kaveh Rezaei)) ((Map: Arlington, Virginia))
((NATS))
((Michael Skeens, Sergeant 1st Class, U.S Army Caisson Platoon))
The military teaches you so much discipline and so much life changes occur within you during your time in the military, and I believe honoring those that have served before me and continuing the traditions is very important to me.
((NATS))
My name is Sgt. 1st Class, Michael Skeens. I am the United States Army Caisson Platoon, Platoon sergeant.
((NATS))
I had a really simple life. I grew up in a real small town. I just noticed very early on, my mother working two jobs and really struggling to make everything [for] me and just giving it everything she had. So, I learned that early on, to work hard and to give a 110 percent everything you do. All of my uncles had served. My father served in Vietnam, my grandfather in the Korean War.
((Stills Courtesy: SFC Michael Skeens))
It never really crossed my mind, but I was at a point in my life where I just needed a change, and I felt like enlisting in the military would give me a chance to travel the world and to learn and meet new people, and it seemed very interesting to me.
((Stills Courtesy: SFC Michael Skeens))
So, I enlisted in April of 2007 and I've served, this is my fifth duty station in about nine years. I was first assigned to a hotel company, HCO, and they are a Line Unit and 1st Battalion, who conduct memorial affairs missions within National Cemetery.
((Stills Courtesy: SFC Michael Skeens))
I heard about a position opening up to be the Caisson Platoon Sergeant. So, I threw my hat into the ring. This is an infantry platoon, so it's pretty rare to have someone outside of an infantryman lead this platoon, but somehow, someone selected me for this position here.
((NATS))
The Caisson Platoon's mission for the Old Guard is to conduct mounted escort to our nation's fallen heroes to their final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery, and we've been doing that mission since 1948.
((Video Courtesy: U.S. Army))
So, our soldiers report 04:15 in the morning and they basically start pulling horses that are assigned for that day's funerals. They start grooming them, dry grooming them, brushing them, combing them. While those soldiers are doing that, the tack room that you see we're in right now, there's over three-hundred-and-forty pieces of brass on all the tack that you see in here, and that gets hand polished every single morning before the teams roll out into the cemetery. From there, they start washing horses. Every horse gets washed and at about 7:30, they start attaching them to the caisson wagon.
((NATS))
The caisson wagon or the caisson basically consists of two pieces: the caisson wagon piece that is actually used to transport the fallen, and the piece that is attached to the horses that pulls the wagon which is called the limber. Back in Civil War, Revolutionary War timeframes, ((Still Courtesy: AP))
they would use that piece of equipment to pull a seventy-five millimeter cannon into battle. Once that wagon downloaded all their supplies to the cannon team, they would take that wagon to the front lines, and on the front lines, they would load the wounded and the dead, and they would take them back to the garrisons to be accounted for. So, we've, kind of, been conducting this mission ever since.
((NATS))
I feel like I've been given a tremendous opportunity to serve in this platoon and to serve with honor here, and the mission that we conduct is so, so heartfelt.
((Video Courtesy: US Army))
I mean to honor the fallen is a tremendous responsibility and I'm so appreciative of that fact. I have to shower every day before I leave work because my wife won’t let me in the house because of the smell that I just have on me now, you know. So, my clothes are a little stinkier. My shoes are a little stinkier, but I wouldn't change it for anything.
((NATS))
I just strive every day to give it a 110 percent and to make my time here felt, and to make sure that we are honoring every single person that we carry on the back of this caisson
((Video Courtesy: US Army))
to the best of our ability.
((Camera: Kaveh Rezaei)) ((Map: Arlington, Virginia))
((NATS))
((Michael Skeens, Sergeant 1st Class, U.S Army Caisson Platoon))
The military teaches you so much discipline and so much life changes occur within you during your time in the military, and I believe honoring those that have served before me and continuing the traditions is very important to me.
((NATS))
My name is Sgt. 1st Class, Michael Skeens. I am the United States Army Caisson Platoon, Platoon sergeant.
((NATS))
I had a really simple life. I grew up in a real small town. I just noticed very early on, my mother working two jobs and really struggling to make everything [for] me and just giving it everything she had. So, I learned that early on, to work hard and to give a 110 percent everything you do. All of my uncles had served. My father served in Vietnam, my grandfather in the Korean War.
((Stills Courtesy: SFC Michael Skeens))
It never really crossed my mind, but I was at a point in my life where I just needed a change, and I felt like enlisting in the military would give me a chance to travel the world and to learn and meet new people, and it seemed very interesting to me.
((Stills Courtesy: SFC Michael Skeens))
So, I enlisted in April of 2007 and I've served, this is my fifth duty station in about nine years. I was first assigned to a hotel company, HCO, and they are a Line Unit and 1st Battalion, who conduct memorial affairs missions within National Cemetery.
((Stills Courtesy: SFC Michael Skeens))
I heard about a position opening up to be the Caisson Platoon Sergeant. So, I threw my hat into the ring. This is an infantry platoon, so it's pretty rare to have someone outside of an infantryman lead this platoon, but somehow, someone selected me for this position here.
((NATS))
The Caisson Platoon's mission for the Old Guard is to conduct mounted escort to our nation's fallen heroes to their final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery, and we've been doing that mission since 1948.
((Video Courtesy: U.S. Army))
So, our soldiers report 04:15 in the morning and they basically start pulling horses that are assigned for that day's funerals. They start grooming them, dry grooming them, brushing them, combing them. While those soldiers are doing that, the tack room that you see we're in right now, there's over three-hundred-and-forty pieces of brass on all the tack that you see in here, and that gets hand polished every single morning before the teams roll out into the cemetery. From there, they start washing horses. Every horse gets washed and at about 7:30, they start attaching them to the caisson wagon.
((NATS))
The caisson wagon or the caisson basically consists of two pieces: the caisson wagon piece that is actually used to transport the fallen, and the piece that is attached to the horses that pulls the wagon which is called the limber. Back in Civil War, Revolutionary War timeframes, ((Still Courtesy: AP))
they would use that piece of equipment to pull a seventy-five millimeter cannon into battle. Once that wagon downloaded all their supplies to the cannon team, they would take that wagon to the front lines, and on the front lines, they would load the wounded and the dead, and they would take them back to the garrisons to be accounted for. So, we've, kind of, been conducting this mission ever since.
((NATS))
I feel like I've been given a tremendous opportunity to serve in this platoon and to serve with honor here, and the mission that we conduct is so, so heartfelt.
((Video Courtesy: US Army))
I mean to honor the fallen is a tremendous responsibility and I'm so appreciative of that fact. I have to shower every day before I leave work because my wife won’t let me in the house because of the smell that I just have on me now, you know. So, my clothes are a little stinkier. My shoes are a little stinkier, but I wouldn't change it for anything.
((NATS))
I just strive every day to give it a 110 percent and to make my time here felt, and to make sure that we are honoring every single person that we carry on the back of this caisson
((Video Courtesy: US Army))
to the best of our ability.
