SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2017
3 B
Siuslaw News
Community Voices
M ILITARY C HRONICLES — 21-Gun
B Y C AL A PPLEBEE
Special to the Siuslaw News
In a prior edition, we talked
about the military tradition of
posting of colors by an Honor
N ATURAL
PERSPECTIVE
B Y E MILY J. U HRIG , P H D
Special to the Siuslaw News
Tuesday 12/5
Guard or Color Guard, and
promised to come back to
explore the 21-Gun Salute vs.
Three Rifle Volley traditions.
Though often confused by
observers, particularly in the
movies but also publicly-viewed
ceremonies, there is a distinction.
Adding to that confusion may be
well publicized public figure
funerals, such as President
Ronald Reagan, who received
both, for different reasons and by
different people, using different
weapons, during different times
at the same ceremony.
Are we confused yet?
And just like with the Honor
Guard and posting of colors, the
traditions date way back in histo-
The holidays are here and
folks are busily renewing season-
al traditions, often involving var-
ious sorts of greenery to brighten
winter days. The Christmas tree
is arguably the star of the show,
but boughs of holly, poinsettias
and mistletoe are also classic hol-
iday symbols.
During the rest of the year,
these plants are mostly over-
looked despite their interesting
lives. Mistletoe, for example, is
much more than an excuse for a
holiday kiss.
Somewhat incongruous with
Marge Eichenberger Florence
Debarah Wheeler
Florence
ry.
The naval tradition of the orig-
inal gun salute dates back to the
British Navy in the 14th Century,
where it was intended as either a
greeting, or to honor the dead, by
showing their weapons were no
longer hostile, according to some
sources; or, to show shore batter-
ies and forts that the ships were
no longer a threat, according to
other sources.
I guess that pretty much means
the same thing in warfare.
Some variations evolved that
included a combination of guns
firing from both ship and from
shore, as a salute from a ship
often resulted in the expending
most of their powder which ren-
— Under
its reputation for holiday
romance, mistletoe is actually a
parasite that makes its living off
other plants. The root of a germi-
nating mistletoe seed penetrates
the bark of its host tree, tapping
into the tree’s systems for trans-
porting water and nutrients.
The mistletoe is then able to
survive on resources comman-
deered from the host. In some
circumstances, parts of the host
tree may die from being deprived
of sufficient resources.
Worldwide, many plants, fre-
quently occurring in tropical
Florence
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U R Worth It
Thursday 12/7
Donald Anderson
Kolynn Hartman
Florence
Salem
Safeway/Florence
Three Rivers Casino Resort
Friday 12/8
Marylou Howland
Caryn Hamner
Florence
Reedsport
Grocery Outlet/Florence
Cheveux Spa
Saturday 12/9
Donna Graves
Margaret Goss
Bear McDaniel
Michael Bratton
Florence
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Westlake
Florence
Safeway/Florence
U R Worth It
Safeway/Florence
Grocery Outlet/Florence
Jeffrey Gray
Vicki Wigton
Florence
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Three Rivers Casino Resort
Safeway/Florence
Monday 12/11
dered them powerless. But I
guess that may have been part of
the point?
In 1842, the United States
established the Presidential
Salute at 21 guns, and in 1890 it
was established as the National
Salute.
Today it is fired in honor of the
President as a 21-gun Salute,
while gun salutes of less numbers
are rendered to civilian leaders
and lower-ranking military lead-
ers based on their rank.
That criteria can be found in
U.S. Army Regulations, or in the
U.S. Navy Regulations.
It is interesting to note the dis-
tinction between the term “guns”
vs. “volley.”
The three-rifle volley consists
of no less than three and no more
than seven rifles, each firing
three volleys in honor of the fall-
en.
Even though seven rifles fired
in three volleys equals 21, it does
not equate to a 21 Gun Salute.
Dating way back to the Roman
era, the “three-rifle” volley was
originally intended to signal the
end of battle for that day so the
fallen could be cleared from the
battle field.
Today, the three-rifle volley is
performed by an Honor Guard
during military and some law
enforcement funerals. Every
honorably discharged veteran is
entitled to this tradition, and a
part of that ceremony may also
include placing three spent car-
tridges into the folds of the flag
presented to the family, signify-
ing Duty, Honor and Sacrifice.
Regardless of when and where
either of these traditions emanate
from, the important thing to
remember is that they honor
those who have served and sacri-
ficed for our nation.
They earned it; they deserve it.
You can learn more about mil-
itary heritage by visiting the
Oregon Coast Military Museum
(OCMM) website at www.ore
goncoastmilitarymuseum.com or
visit the museum, 2145
Kingwood St., Thursday through
Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
the mistletoe
locations, are considered mistle-
toes.
Diverse in appearance, they
often bear showy flowers and lit-
tle or no resemblance to
Christmas mistletoe. Oregon is
home to a number of native
mistletoes that can be catego-
rized as either “true” or dwarf
species. True mistletoes, those of
holiday fame, frequently para-
sitize oak trees and are easily
seen this time of year as clumps
of leafy evergreen foliage in oth-
erwise bare trees.
Dwarf mistletoes — smaller,
less conspicuous and lacking
leaves — generally parasitize
conifers like fir and pine. Such
economically valuable timber
can be damaged considerably by
dwarf mistletoe infection as it
reduces the trees’ growth and
increases their susceptibility to
disease.
Despite adverse effects on host
trees, mistletoes are important
ecosystem components that inter-
act with many wildlife species.
One outcome of mistletoe infec-
tion, for instance, is formation of
so-called witches’ brooms,
abnormally dense clumps of
small branches originating from
the infection site on the host tree.
These brooms make excellent
homes for small mammals and
birds. Indeed, threatened species
like the marbled murrelet and
spotted owl often nest in the pro-
tection of mistletoe brooms.
Thus, challenges arise regard-
ing how to mitigate potential
mistletoe damage to timber har-
vests while maintaining impor-
tant habitat.
Its long history as a holiday
icon notwithstanding, the biolo-
gy of mistletoe is rather underap-
preciated and perhaps not even
fully understood in some
respects.
So, if you bring a piece of this
parasitic plant into your home for
the holidays, remember that it’s
more than just for kissing under.
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Salute or 3-Rifle Volley
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