One of the many enjoyable aspects of interviewing veterans over the years is realizing just how many amazing people who have done incredible things, walk among us. Case in point is Irvin Nelson. When you pull up to his farm out side Ault and start talking with him, you think you’re just talking to a hardworking, salt of the earth, retired farmer (which I might note is already incredible in my book). You dive into his story though and you find out he was once a guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery!
Army Veteran Irvin Nelson
Irvin served in this highly selective, sacred position as a Tomb Sentinel with the 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as
the “Old Guard”. This duty is extremely taxing mentally, requiring incredible discipline, concentration, precision, and perfection. It is also very taxing physically, as the Tomb is guarded 24/7, through blizzards, hurricanes, blazing heat, etc. When asked how he did it, he simply answered, “I just always thought about who I was guarding.”
Honor is something very important to Irv. He said he was honored to be a guard. After his stint there, he served up on the DMZ in Korea where he said he was honored to do so. He wanted to make the military a career, but came home to run the family farm due to his dad’s illness. When asked about these changes in plans, he said, “I was honored to come home and take care of the farm.” Irvin Nelson, it was a great honor to meet you!
Brad Hoopes has a passionate project of preserving the stories of our veterans. You can view these stories at: youtube.com/@rememberandhonorstories.