I guess that made my sainted Dad a walking third class secular relic. (He only mentioned it a few times in my hearing.) An interesting book could be written about men who shook hands with both Washington and Lincoln. Probably more than you would think.
And I’m The Man Who Shook the Hand of the Man Who Shook Hands With Napoleon
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
In my local cemetary is the grave of a women who died in the 1930’s, if I’m remembering correctly. She was over a hundred when she died. On her tombstone it says that her grandfather was one of President George Washington’s personal bodyguards. I’m guessing part of the 3rd ID, what is now called “The Old Guard”. Anyway, the stone mentions that she sat on her grandpa’s lap as a child, and thus sat on the lap of someone who shook that shook hands of George Washington. This is in Yankton, SD, which has lots of interesting characters in our cemetery.
Also, yes I did touch the tombstone, does that make me a third class relic of George Washington?
Also also, I was in the 3rd ID in the nineties, and had a couple of friends in Alpha company, who dress in Continental Army gear, and are known as the President’s Guard, that’s why I brought that up. No, I never did anything too special, I wasn’t infantry. I met the guys during ROP training, which, uh… I had to do twice.