Guard Refuses To Take Cover In Torrential Rain So He Can Place Flag On Tomb Of Unknown Soldier

Jun 03, 2019 by apost team

Memorial Day weekend may have come and gone but news of one soldier’s dedication in honoring the memory of his fallen comrades is just making the rounds with social media and the national press. Tyler McKee is a member of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment, better known as “The Old Guard.” Formed in 1784.

The Old Guard is mainly tasked with ceremonial duties such as providing an honor guard for dignitaries and serving as funeral details at Arlington National Cemetery. Part of their duties at Arlington also involves protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. McKee was the specially designated Tomb Sentinel on Memorial Day.

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For those who do not live on the Eastern Seaboard, this Memorial Day was especially rainy for the Washington, D.C. area, with the whole city being deluged in sheets of precipitation. The rain was so bad that The Old Guard was advised to return to their quarters.

Despite this order, McKee chose to stay and ensure that he pay his respects to those honored at the the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The monument is important to servicemen and women in all branches of the United States military for its purpose of remembering those soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice to serve our country and preserve our way of life.

The families of these soldiers never got a chance to give their loved ones a final goodbye. As such, it is important for us as a nation to honor these warriors and keep their memory alive for future generations.

Braving the intense wind and driving rain, McKee was photographed placing American flags at graves near the monument. The Old Guard shared a picture of the young soldier carrying out his duty on Facebook, saying that while ordinary men and women ran from the pounding storm, the Tomb Sentinel endured the vicious tempest.

McKee’s mom, Julie Dabulewicz McKee, commented on The Old Guard’s post, saying that she was never prouder of her boy. Julie’s later posts also revealed that Tyler’s brother, Wyatt, is also in the armed services and spent Memorial Day similarly honoring his fallen comrades.

What do you think of how Old Guard soldier Tyler McKee braved the torrential rain to honor those interred at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? Let us know in the comments and pass this along to your friends and family to see what they think, too!