Got this courtesy of Dana Rittenhouse. This was taken last week in Kabul, during the ramp ceremony for Master Corporal Byron Greff. The padre leading the bearing party is Dana’s husband, Captain Howard Rittenhouse, chaplain to the Third Battalion, Prince Patricias’ Canadian Light Infantry, and a dear colleague of mine.
Dana wrote that “The ramp ceremony went without a hitch – they actually practice it (and Howard had to lead the procession in a slow march – the hardest one to do, drag foot, hesitate, put down, start again) and Howard maintained his composure until he was all done – he was wearing a preaching scarf (that is the tradition) so did not have headgear which means he could not salute the casket as everyone else did. He was bothered by that so he walked over to face the casket and stood at attention for a minute as his gesture of respect – he said he started to lose it after that, and then watching the man’s closest friends go into the herc to salute goodbye.”