But the Army had other plans. “They selected me for the Honor Guard because of my height and test scores,” he said. “Once I got there, there were specialty teams like the Tomb Sentinels, who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Drill Team, Continental Color Guard and the Caisson Platoon, which deals with horses.”
Of these, Kausen thought the Caisson Platoon would be the most interesting and challenging.
“It wasn’t depressing, but it could be sad. You learn that it is something you do for the family, that will make a lasting impression on them as a farewell from the military. I was doing something that was honorable.”
- Jake Kausen
“They taught me to ride horses,” he said. “I went through their training course for 10 weeks, where they taught me everything from basic safety with horses to how to train a horse; ride a horse; how to ride two horses at the same time, called postilion riding; maintenance of the carriages and the tack; farm maintenance. It was a crash course.”
The Caisson Platoon performs eight funerals each weekday and is backlogged about eight months.
“Altogether I did 607 funerals,” Kausen said. “We have two teams that go out every day. I would do about four a day.
“It wasn’t depressing, but it could be sad. You learn that it is something you do for the family, that will make a lasting impression on them as a farewell from the military. I was doing something that was honorable. It was something to take pride in.”