President’s Letter 2021

Dear Members and Friends,

I’m happy to report that the TOGA Board of Directors met in Arlington, VA on October 29th and 30th for a couple of important reasons. It felt great to be back on post after a long hiatus due to COVID restrictions. I want to thank Regimental Commander COL Patrick Roddy for all the help we received. I’ll give you a short recap of what happened while we were there.

On Friday the 29th we started the morning by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and also a wreath at the TOGA memorial stone adjacent to the amphitheater there. A nor’easter was in full blow with a drenching rain and wind. It reminded us of how we all stood the marks back in the day. From there we moved to Charlie Guard where we presented the company with a table tennis table and equipment for their day room. This donation was made possible by a generous gift from the family of a fallen hero who was escorted to his final resting place in ANC by Charlie Guard. The family members actually attended the presentation. It was a special time for sure. From there we move to Conmy Hall where we recognized the achievements of several Soldiers and made some special presentations.

We first recognized the 2021 Best Warrior Soldier, SPC Little; Best Warrior NCO SSG Saavedra and Best Medic SGT Biggerstaff. Next was a presentation of the first-ever TOGA Educational Assistance $1,000 Scholarships. The winners were selected by a committee from essays submitted to TOGA. The recipients were 1LT Robert Moretz, SSG TaWei Chen and SSG Bailey Pogue. Next, we presented 55 solid brass buckles to the Caisson Platoon. These are given to graduates of the Military Basic Horsemanship Course. TOGA initiated this program several years ago. It is 100% funded now by Caisson Platoon alumni. TOGA holds the funds until more buckles are needed.  Of special note, the Regiment named Marty Cassidy and Tyler Willbanks as “Distinguished Members of the Regiment”. A tremendous honor for both who have demonstrated an extraordinary level of support to the Regiment. Congratulations to Marty and Tyler! Well deserved. We closed out the ceremonies with presentations to COL Roddy and RSM Whittington. You can click on this link to see photos of the various activities and presentations – The Old Guard Association, October 29, 2021

On Saturday the 30th we conducted the first Annual General Meeting of the Association on a virtual platform. It was a bit of a challenge to get it set up because it was our first time but I have to say, I think it went off very well. We were able to elect the Directors for 2022 and conduct the other business of the Association. I encourage you to participate in the future.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of the activities. Know that COL Roddy and many other officers, NCOs and Soldiers told us how much they appreciated the support. These things are made possible because of you, the members and friends of TOGA. We could not do it without you. Please continue to help us by recruiting your friends to join TOGA. Share this information with them as an example of what we do. Thank you!

Old Guard,

Flip

Philip H. (Flip) Godfrey, President

The Old Guard Association