SCI Members Lay Wreath at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
As Safari Club International met in Washington, D.C. for its annual Lobby Day on Capitol Hill and May Board Meeting, several members of the Georgia Chapter of SCI joined the National Veterans Committee of SCI and made their way across the Potomac River to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Arlington National Cemetery is considered hallowed ground in the United States. It is the final resting place for numerous U.S. presidents, heads of state, military officers and dignitaries.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a sacred memorial site at the center of Arlington National Cemetery and one of the most iconic memorials in the nation. The neoclassical, white marble tomb stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C.
Since 1921, it has provided a final resting place for one of America’s unidentified World War I service members, and Unknowns from later wars were added in 1958 and 1984. The Tomb also serves as a place of mourning and a site for reflection on military service.
Georgia Chapter of SCI Life Member Captain Tommy Clack, U.S. Army, Retired, participated in the Laying of the Wreath during an emotional ceremony.
Clack received devastating injuries in Vietnam in May of 1969 during combat on his second tour of duty. Clack has been honored for his service to our country by three U.S. Presidents; Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, as well as former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal.
Clack has also received one of the highest honors from SCIF, the Pathfinder Award, for his outstanding accomplishments in life following his injuries. Clack has written and published more than 500 guest columns and has traveled across the country speaking in support of hunters’ rights and the Second Amendment. Participating in the Laying of the Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier fulfills a dream for Clack.
Joining him was Georgia Chapter Vice President Dick Caillouet, a Vietnam veteran and a member of the SCI Veterans Committee.
“It was amazing to participate in such a solemn event on the hallowed grounds at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery,” said Caillouet. “These memories will be cherished forever.”
This article originally appeared in the June 2023 edition of Safari Times.
