Just Doing It Right     

       Lock in. Stare straight. Heal first. Breathe only through the nose. Hut!   
  

   Just part of the job of a military body bearer. We watched them in lockstep this week: to and from the Capitol rotunda, national cathedral, Joint Base Andrews, St. Martin's church in Houston, special train 4141, and finally the grounds of the George Bush Library in College Station, Texas. 

   That's a lot of in and out, up and down for one funeral. Standing motionless for long minutes.   

   A humbling opportunity? An honor? A service? Yes. And physical pain.

   One of the Marines in the Washington, DC unit is from our county here in Florida, Cpl. Kevin Harris. His unit serves senior statesmen, heads of state and former presidents. Bearers from the Army, Navy and Air Force joined Marines for the various Bush ceremonies and services. 

   Cpl. Harris, 24, told the Tampa Bay Times he never thought he would be put in that situation. He knew he had to focus on his job, not on people like the Bush family and dignitaries.

   He and fellow Marines often participate in several funerals a day. "It's not about pain," he said. "You're doing service for members of the family. It's the least we can do to honor them in the best way possible...to give them a sense of dignity."

   Caskets typically weigh between 400 and 800 pounds, each man gripping with one arm. They train hard and practice carrying every kind of casket.

   "We're the last representation of something their family member was part of," Cpl. Harris said. "Just doing it right...just making sure I execute it perfectly."

   In and out of hearses, Air Force One and a special train. Hut! 

      Jimmy