How to fire artillery salutes

One Hand Clapping ^ | 6/12/2004 | Donald Sensing

[Cannoneer No. 4]

I am not the author, but I was in Germany 1983-86, first in Nuernburg, then Stuttgart.

[vetvetdoug]

That is a 1861 12# Field Howitzer on a #1 carriage.

[T-Bird45]

#4 - Great post, good info there, especially on the 75mm pack howitzer. My Pershing Rifles unit in college used one at Oklahoma State football games on every score. It was a great honor to service the piece. One member of the unit reloaded shotgun shells to fire.

OldCorps - I was in Wiesbaden, 1978-81, with 1st Bn., 333rd Field Artillery at Camp Pieri but spent some time at the Air Base because I was the S-1 in my last year there so I had to go to the Regional Personnel Center regularly.

[1stFreedom]

>>Since we were stationed near Giessen, 55 kilometers away from division headquarters in Frankfurt

Heh, I lived in Herborn Seelbach, not too far from Giessen.

Small world.

[vetvetdoug]

Thanks for the post. I watched the funeral artillery and cringed every time the announcers stated The Army 21 Cannon Salute.....any idiot better be able to tell the difference between a Marine and an Army redleg.

[killjoy]

I watched three different salutes, and at each site, there was an extra cannon that didn't fire.

I noticed that also.

[texasflower]

"Gun [x], stand by, FIRE"

That's what I heard also.

[Feckless]

Had the salute battery at Ft Dix for 4 years, Pack 75's. Hard to find parts is right. Usually took good part off one and had post engineers make a copy.

[Let's Roll]

Yes, that's what it sounded like to me too. They all fired five times and Cannon One (or whatever he called it - but it was something one) fired six times.

I was counting too and I'm a girl. :-)

[Cannoneer No. 4]

12 - Pounder Field Howitzer Model 1841 is what Steen Cannons calls it.

[vetvetdoug]

I read about the current problems for burial of veterans in the American Legion magazine. Some living veterans are forming honor guards and doing the job. Clinton cutbacks made burial duty way at the bottom of priorities for the military.

[MEG33]

With all the decussions of the memorials I have done I have not properly noted the magnificent performance of our military during this past week...

I salute them all .... the bearers of President Reagan's casket, honor guards, escorts, bands, choruses, those who delivered the salutes, the pilots..everyone of them have my appreciation.

Thank you , you made us proud to be Americans!

[texasflower]

Here. Read this.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2002/n10242002_200210243.html

"Digitized Bugle Studied for Use at Military Funerals"

[MEG33]

discussions

[MountainPatriot]

We have 50, plus one smart arse...

Figured it out by myself, but don't appreciate your being an arse.

[fso301]

Ok, here's my observation from this past week:

I didn't pay close attention when the casket was leaving California for Washington but at the capitol, I noticed there were three guns in front of the capitol but only two were firing. I looked but didn't see any indication that a malfunction occured but figured that must have been what happened. Then, at the Reagan library, I was surprised to see four guns and immediately thought one must be a spare but got quite a surprise when it fired. Since there were four guns and all four guns were firing. I thought "That's odd because four guns don't add up to 21 rounds". Then I realized that by having an even number of guns firing, the last gun to fire in a sequenced 21 gun salute would be the #1 gun.

Was my assumption correct that the last shot was intended to be from the #1 gun?

[NonValueAdded]

Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come off like that. I did not mean to imply what you infer, as Barry Farber says. To atone for my sin, the web site of the Military District of Washington, the wonderful men and women who managed this week's honors, covers this in their Origins of the 21 Gun Salute page. FRegards.

[fso301]

Does anyone know the current procedures for burial of vets? I've heard that with the army overcommitted, taps is being played as a cassette over a loudspeaker

I can help out concerning taps. Yes that was a ghastly practice of having a soldier show up to a vets funeral with a boom box. The "electronic trumpet" is only a marginal improvement. My understanding is that enough people had to endure the spectacle of listening to taps from a boom box at Grandpa's funeral that somebody did something about it. Congress has authorized civic groups such as Boy Scouts to train and play taps using a real bugle.

The volunteers are currently undergoing training and will begin playing at funeral services beginning July 4, 2004. What I don't know is what type uniform they will wear. My hope is that in such capacity, they will wear an official uniform such as worn by Civil Air Patrol or other auxilliary units.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Cool post! Thanks!

[sd-joe]

Re your question: "Then, at sunset a 50-gun salute was given what is the significance of that". See the following quote:

In 1842, the Presidential salute was formally established at 21 guns. In 1890, regulations designated the "national salute" as 21 guns and redesignated the traditional Independence Day salute, the "Salute to the Union," equal to the number of states. Fifty guns are also fired on all military installations equipped to do so at the close of the day of the funeral of a President, ex-President, or President-elect.