COLUMBUS, Ind. — For members of Indiana’s Caisson Platoon, saddling up their horses is often bittersweet — part of preparations to mark the death of an Indiana National Guard member and give a final tribute to their service.
However, Wednesday night, the team will take on a different mission, providing a mounted color guard at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair for the presentation of the colors at the fairground.
According to Sgt. First Class James Lasher, the platoon will present colors at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the fairgrounds horse arena prior to the Parent and Alumni Horse Show being held by the Circle C 4-H Horse and Pony Club.
Lasher is an active Indiana National Guard member and a member of the Caisson Platoon, which is part of the Military Department of Indiana Ceremonial Unit.
“The primary mission of the Military Department of Indiana Ceremonial Unit is to provide military funeral honors for any eligible current or retired Indiana National Guard member, provide escort to the governor and other VIPs as directed, and to provide military, ceremonial support at public functions when requested, such as this event,” said Lasher.
Current and former guard members in good standing may volunteer to serve in the unit, which is made up of eight teams.
One such team is the Caisson Platoon, which “renders final honors in one of the oldest and most evocative military traditions—a riderless (caparisoned) horse led behind the caisson.” The caisson — a type of wooden wagon that once carried ammunition — carries the casket of the deceased guard member.
The platoon also provides a mounted color guard and static displays for other events.
“Our main mission is to provide funeral support, so we pull the horse-drawn carriage that carries the casket at funerals,” said Lasher. “… That’s our primary mission, but then we also do the color guard events for public functions. We do various parades, community events, the fair. We’ve done a horse show at the Johnson County Park before as well.”
For the complete story and more photos, see Wednesday’s Republic.
