Back in November, when we were honoring our service men on Veteran’s Day Weekend (otherwise known as Armistice Day/Day of Remembrance), those of you who attended the 9:15 AM Service on November 12th noticed a change in the ceremonial presentation of the American Flag.
Instead of one of the acolytes presenting the Flag, three veteran members of our congregation presented the Flag at the center of the altar rail while we all sang the Star Spangled Banner. This change of ceremony was enthusiastically supported by our Rector, Fr Hawtin.
The purpose of this change was to honor those veterans who have sacrificed so much for us in past and present conflicts. It has been decided that this ceremony will be performed on four Sundays which fall on or near significant National or State remembrances of such sacrifices; Memorial Day, D-Day, Defenders Day, and, of course, Veteran’s Day.
The thing that makes these events and ceremonies together unique to Maryland is the history of Maryland’s participation in all of these events, something that other states cannot claim. Of course, just about every state can recall participation in past conflicts honored by Memorial Day, however, that cannot be said for the other three.
The 175 Infantry Regiment
Maryland has two historic military units; one is a Division (the 29th Infantry Division) and the other a Regiment (the 175th Infantry Regiment) which is part of the 29th Division. The 175th is based at the 5th Regiment Armory in Baltimore. It is the 4th–oldest military organization in the Country. It was organized in December 1774 and participated throughout the Revolutionary War as the 5th Maryland, or the “Dandy” 5th. It also took part in the War of 1812, the Civil War (Union side), WWI, and WWII as part of the 29th Division. Rebel units from Maryland also participated in the Civil war and both were at Gettysburg.
The 29th Infantry Division
During WWI, the 29th Division was formed among National Guard units from Maryland and Virginia. The ying-yang symbol above was the Division’s insignia signifying that the unit was made up of historical units from both North and South. The 29th fought in France from the beginning of 1918 until the end of the war. During WWII, the 29th was activated in February 1942 and sent to England to train. The Division was selected to land in the first wave on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6th, 1944, and remained in Europe for the rest of the war, being returned to the United States in late December, 1945. Neither unit was activated for Korea or Vietnam, but they did serve in the Balkans and Afghanistan.
As I said earlier, Maryland has a long and unique military history in the defense of our Nation. A history that Marylanders should be rightly proud of, and for this reason, we will bring attention to that history by honoring those in our congregation and throughout our Country who sacrificed so much. If you are a veteran and would like to participate in these ceremonies, please sign the Veterans Roster on the bulletin board.
—JOHN DARLINGTON, 175th Infantry Rgmt, 29th Infantry Divi. (Ret.)