When I was a freshman in high school, I visited Arlington National Cemetery. I remember watching the solemn ceremony of the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. I’ve always been drawn to military memorials - it has something to do with the camraderie of the veterans. The bonding that occurs among men in the armed forces is unique. I had the opportunity to experience some of that during my four years in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M.
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Anyway, I ran into this blog post about the funeral of a Navy Seal that died in Afghanistan recently.
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I was struck by a truly unique SEAL tradition that I hadn’t expected to see. Upon the dismissal of the assembly by the funeral director, the men of SDV Team ONE solemnly formed a single file and approached James’ immaculate wood coffin. One by one, each man removed his Trident from the breast of his uniform and pounded it into the gleaming wooden lid of his coffin. Dozens of golden Tridents were left shimmering in the sun to accompany James on his journey…forever.

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