# Question about soldiers guarding Reagan's casket **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662 "2004-06-10T16:56:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/41 "2004-06-11T15:18:55Z")
Crowd. Perform for the crowd. :smack: I don’t believe the Queen was at the parade. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/42 "2004-06-11T15:23:25Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I still want to hear about the horses. Now suppose the horses pulling the caisson took a dump. Would the soldiers marching behind be obliged to step right in the poop? Or are the horses “street trained” and don’t dump while on duty? I couldn’t see clearly enough to tell, but I assumed that the horses were wearing the sort of “tail bags” (mounted behind their rumps to catch poop) that I have seen horses in parades wearing. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/43 "2004-06-11T15:38:47Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > I couldn’t see clearly enough to tell, but I assumed that the horses were wearing the sort of “tail bags” (mounted behind their rumps to catch poop) that I have seen horses in parades wearing. I’ve always wanted one of those bags. So efficient. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/44 "2004-06-11T15:40:53Z")
Mr. Moto, I salute you for your your tiptoes through the road apples. I certainly don’t envy the boot cleaning detail! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/45 "2004-06-11T15:44:53Z")
[This Tomb Guard FAQ](http://www.tombguard.org/FAQ.html) (actually the [entire site](http://www.tombguard.org/) was linked from another thread about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and I found it to be really interesting and informative stuff about honor guards and the tomb itself. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/46 "2004-06-11T16:01:42Z")
Thanks for that link, ZipperJJ. [This page describes the day I posted about earlier.](http://www.tombguard.org/vnceremonies.html) Turns out nearly 2,000 soldiers formed the “cordon of honor” from the Capitol to Arlington. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/47 "2004-06-11T16:21:58Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > I couldn’t see clearly enough to tell, but I assumed that the horses were wearing the sort of “tail bags” (mounted behind their rumps to catch poop) that I have seen horses in parades wearing. Sissies! One of the things I learned from my high school band experience was that when you are marching in a parade always try to get a spot ahead of the horses and elephants. Especially the elephants. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/48 "2004-06-11T16:57:22Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > And they’re all carrying rifles, including the sailor, which struck me as odd for some reason. We get a LOT of weapons training in the Navy. I’m qualified to fire 6-7 different weapons, including a .50 cal machine gun and a grenade launcher. How do you think we protect our ships from small boats? We also have to guard the pier when our ships pull in to port. You might be surprised at all the munitions that are carried onboard a ship. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/49 "2004-06-11T17:07:40Z")
[This article](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32929-2004Jun10.html) in today’s Washington Post provides a good profile of what it’s like to be an Honor Guard. According to it, the rifles have no cartriges or firing pins, but the bayonets are real enough. Also, Reagan’s casket weighed 735 pounds, whereas a normal one would only weigh around 400. The extra weight is because it is lined with marble. ( :eek: ) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/50 "2004-06-11T19:24:29Z")
Originally Posted by **Liberal** And they’re all carrying rifles, including the sailor, which struck me as odd for some reason. Originally Posted by **BMalion** Should he be carrying a torpedo? Originally Posted by **Mehitabel** Nope, an oar. Originally Posted by **BMalion** or a harpoon. Well, if he’s a _real_ sailor, he’s carrying a condom. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/51 "2004-06-11T19:59:57Z")
Hijack: why would one line a coffin with marble? That just seems excessive and strange to me. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/52 "2004-06-11T20:15:59Z")
We need it to be sturdy so he can’t claw his way out and feast on our delicious brains. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2004, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662/53 "2004-06-13T15:24:33Z")
“Sweet zombie Reagan!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-soldiers-guarding-reagans-casket/249662.md?page=2)