# 39 years ago today



## sargentodiaz (Mar 31, 2019)

_It’s hard to explain what it felt like to stand there and be honored by the elite Old Guard, US Army band, and Washington’s own._​ _[You cannot even begin to imagine what it’s like to be a member of this unit. Not just the spit and polish but endless hours of intense practice. And only the most elite of the elite get the ultimate honor – to stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.]_​ _Here’s another video – indoors._​ 



 _There’s a story about this you might enjoy._​ _One of my last assignments was to the American Embassy in Vienna. There, I frequently dealt with defense contractor representatives seeking to do business with the Austrian military. One of them was trying to work out a deal to se__ll__ F-5 aircraft through a joint construction deal with the Swiss who were building and selling them throughout Europe. Several other countries were also trying to sell their versions and Northrop spent a lot of time in the mix, always seeking inroads to the Austrian brass. I had a number of personal contacts and the rep felt I could help them out in the office in Frankfurt, Germany. He offered me a job there when I retired. As my retirement came close, I contacted them and got a great job offer with a good salary and all sorts of perks to live in Germany. The kicker was to spend 6 months in their Southern California office to become familiar with how they did things._​ _Right after my retirement, I packed up and, when a letter of employment in my hand, left Virginia to drive across co__untry__ in my VW bus._​ _To shorten the story, I walked into the Northrop office and showed them my letter. Without batting an eye, the junior executive told me the letter and offer was no longer valid as the individual who gave it to me had been terminated, along with his entire staff, for ethics violations causing a huge scandal for the country._​ _I headed back to Vegas and have been here ever since._​ ​


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