Beacon mom details son’s role in Bush funeral

Tony Keen is pictured on right.

Jennifer Keen, Human Resources assistant, Elkhart General Hospital, stayed glued to the TV for President George H.W. Bush’s funeral. Her son, Tony, who is stationed at Ft. Myer in Arlington, Va., is part of the Presidential Salute Battalion with the U.S. Army’s Old Guard.

The battalion was formed specifically for State funerals to honor former United States Presidents. We asked Jenn to tell us about Tony’s important role as the country paid tribute to the 41st President.

“The Presidential Salute Battalion has 10 Howitzer cannons that are fired during funerals at Arlington National Cemetery and at events throughout Washington D.C. The cannons date back to World War 2 and several saw combat during that war. Tony’s unit practiced specifically for President Bush’s state funeral this summer and fall. There is a specific procedure and schedule that must be followed during state funerals.

“The unit received word late Friday, Nov. 30th that the President had passed and were ordered to report at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, their usual day off. Tony told me he was honored to be part of the events, but was very nervous about making a mistake. The unit spent all day Saturday getting the cannons and their ceremonial uniforms ready. The uniforms must be precisely prepared, which can take up to five hours.

Tony Keen and his mom, Jennifer Keen.

“They reported at 4 a.m. on Sunday and moved the cannons to Whipple Hill on Ft. Myer, which overlooks Washington D.C. They fired once every half hour from ‘Revelry to Retreat’ — sun up to sun down. On Monday, they reported at 4 a.m. and moved four cannons to Joint Base Andrews Airport to fire when the plane carrying the casket arrived and the other four cannons were taken to the Capital where they fired a 21 gun salute as the casket arrived at the Capital. Tony was part of the team that fired at the Capital. Then, on Wednesday, they fired another 21 gun salute as the casket left the Capital. On Thursday, the cannons were moved back to Whipple Hill where they fired a 21 gun salute and at 5 p.m. that day they fired a 50 gun ‘Salute to the Nation’.

“The sunset on Monday of funeral week was incredibly beautiful and you could see it behind the Capital as we were watching the events. When I mentioned the sunset to Tony and how gorgeous it was, he said, ‘I didn’t even notice.’ I said, ‘Really, you were facing right toward it.’ He said that he was so focused on the task at hand that he didn’t notice anything else going on around him. He called me around 8 p.m. on Wednesday after he got off his 16-hour work day. He was just sitting in his car because he was too tired to go in to his room right away, so he decided to call his mom. (Good boy!) He said that as exhausting it all was, he was glad that he and his buddies got to be involved.

In front of the Capital. Tony Keen is far right.

“The last state funeral was in 2004 for President Reagan. So, the fact that Tony was able to part of a state funeral is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. Many soldiers serve in the Old Guard and don’t get the honor of State funeral participation.

“Our family watched the events either online or on Facebook Live.

“At one point, my husband had six TV stations on DVR to try to catch the unit firing. It is hard to describe the sense of pride we feel. We are fully aware of all the hours of training the units go through and the sacrifices the soldiers make to serve their country. He’s coming home for Christmas and I cannot wait to squeeze him!”