 Across the years, the lifetimes of many men, from General Washington's Continental Army to the globe-circling army of today, their stretches of continuity of devotion and of determination and of willing sacrifice, which we do well to remember. Today's big picture pays particular honor to the Americans in uniform, past and present, who are a part of that proud heritage. The honor of historic Fort McNair in the nation's capital is a fitting setting for today's tribute to those whose devotion has kept our nation free. And here to give motion and melody to that tribute are troops of the Old Guard, the Third United States Infantry, and of the United States Army Band. The Third Infantry is one of the most select units in the United States Army. It is older than our nation's Constitution and fares on its roles the names of men who suffered at Valley Forge and triumphed at Yorktown. The ill-case unit of the Army, the Old Guard symbolizes the Patriots' heritage, shared by Americans in uniform wherever they may be. And the colors! With a medley of authentic revolutionary war tunes. The Continental Soldier, parading on some village green, marched to the stately colonial cadence of exactly 90 faces to the minute. 1847. General Winfield Scott was on the march from Vera Cruz to Mexico City. His force, led by the Third Infantry, was blocked by an enemy stronghold on the heights of Serro Gordo. The Third led the charge which took the position with bayonets fixed. In the end, it was those bare blades which decided the matter. And so began a tradition which is a part of the rich fabric which makes up the heritage of the American soldier. Done in time with a medley of traditional army tunes, muskets in motion, Third Infantry drill team, a study in synchronization, the clock-like rhythm of precisely 150 beats to the minute. Once started, does not vary a beat from the beginning of the demonstration to the end. Work are so smooth that unless one watches closely, they may go unnoticed. For example, the moment when the entire team exchanges rifles at once. It's time on the ground, six marching men, a mid-air rifle pass with bare bayonet fixed, machinery times, much has changed. But discipline, precision, teamwork, the essentials, the unvariables, remain. Team stars, the beginning of a visual and musical journey through history, a progression of the uniforms and the flags which American soldiers have taken into battle. Stars and 15 stripes flew at New Orleans and over Fort McHenry in the War of 1812, inspiring the words of our national anthem. 13 stripes, the Mexican War, Serro Gordo, Chapultepe, Sumpter, Appomattox, as the West was won and the nation extended from coast to coast. Spanish-American War, San Juan Hill, the Doughboy took over there, Chateau Thierry, Bellow Wood, Sam Yell, little dress of World War II, Pearl Harbor to Manila, Tunisia to the Rhine, and later Korea. The American soldier carries forward his proud heritage of devotion, has ensured the security of the Union which those 50 stars symbolize. For every one of our 50 stars, there is a colorful state flag, each with a tradition, a meaning of its own, diversity and a harmony which is in itself symbolic of the broad Union they represent. A typically terse military command whose meaning is this, let the soldiers pass by so that it may be seen what their quality is, all from whence they have sprung. For it is a fraternal thing, the ceremonial honorable brotherhood among men of arms of showing honor to those present and to those who have gone before. Times of many men, their stretches a continuity of devotion and of determination and of willing sacrifice to remember.