Since leaving the halls of Bridgeport High School in 1992, Matt McKinney has witnessed a lot of special moments.  Last Saturday, however, was among one of the most moving.  As one of the five Marines chosen to provide ceremonial services for Senator John Glenn, McKinney stood at the head of the casket as over 4,000 people filed by to pay respects to the American hero.

 

From noon on December 9 until noon on December 10, McKinney and four other Marines rotated around the casket every 30 minutes as Glenn lie in state at the Ohio Statehouse, the same one that held Abraham Lincoln 150 years ago.  The coffin was draped in an American flag in the rotunda and the holiday decorations were replaced with black cloth hanging around the lights.

 

As people filed by paying their respects, many honored Glenn’s service with salutes, some touched the casket, all were silent and one, his wife of 73 years, rested her head on the flag-draped casket, offering a public farewell to her partner through life.  McKinney was assigned as the action officer for the Glenn Memorial, responsible for coordination with the family, the Ohio Statehouse, the city of Columbus and Ohio State University.

 

Specifically, McKinney performed duties as the ceremonial guard escort officer and escorted Senator Glenn’s widow from the procession into the auditorium.  He also had the honor of escorting the United States Vice President, Joe Biden, and introducing him to the Glenn family.  Approximately 2500 were in attendance for the memorial tribute following a procession through the streets of Columbus.

 

Glenn, who passed away on December 8 at the age of 95, served four terms as a U.S. Senator from Ohio and was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts.  His flight on Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, made him a hero as the first American to orbit the Earth. Many of those attending his memorial reminisced about the impact he made on their lives and the thrill of watching the Space Program progress before their very eyes on black and white televisions around the nation. No doubt, his passing marks the end of an era.

 

 

Glenn flew 149 combat missions in World War II and the Korean War.  In 1998, he had the opportunity to become the oldest man ever to orbit the Earth when, at 77,  he returned to his love of space and circled the Earth 134 times.  Credited with being instrumental in keeping America successful in the space race, Glenn’s memorial was monumental on many level, including to McKinney.

 

“It is a huge honor to perform these honorable and solemn duties,” McKinney said.  “Every funeral is a personal experience and I can’t express the pride I experience in conducting the funeral ceremonies.”

 

McKinney is second in command as a Lieutenant Colonel stationed at the oldest continually serving post in the Marine Corps referred to as the “8^th and I”.  The post was established by Thomas Jefferson in 1801 and is responsible for scheduling the “President’s Own” U. S. Marine Band and the “Commander’s Own” Marine Drum and Bugle Corps.  The Barracks post is also responsible for duties honoring all Marines buried at the Arlington National Cemetery and providing ceremonial services. 

 

McKinney was chosen to accompany the Deputy Commandant for Aviation to make a condolence call to the Glenn family about a week prior to the memorial events.  He views his career in the Marines as his ultimate calling and has displayed his passion to serve for nearly 20 years through many deployments and service stateside and around the world.