Soldier surprises mom at OFS Brands
An OFS Brands facility rang with a mother’s cry of joy at seeing her soldier son home for the first time in over a year and a half Wednesday.
It almost didn’t happen though.
Private First Class Michael Ader, 21, a Loogootee native, is a member of The Old Guard 3rd U.S. Infantry; the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army. It has been serving the nation since 1784.
The Old Guard is the Army’s official ceremonial unit and escort to the president. It also provides security for Washington, D.C., in time of national emergency or civil disturbance. Besides these duties, the unit conducts military ceremonies at the White House, the Pentagon, national memorials and elsewhere in the nation’s capital.
Soldiers of The Old Guard provide the 24-hour vigil at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Ader is attached to a unit that provides military funeral escorts and ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. He was assigned to the unit after graduating from infantry school when he was asked to volunteer for the duty.
“I think it is one of the most honorable things I can do,” he said. “but, it does get sad at times.”
Ader has had some trouble being able to get leave from his duty at the Arlington Cemetery since being stationed their in 2013. When he finally was able to get time off, he decided to work with his aunt and uncle Lucretia and Dewey Osborne to surprise his mom at work.
Ader arrived back in Indiana Tuesday night and spent the night with his aunt and uncle. Through OFS Brands human resources, Ader arranged to surprise his mom Carrie at the plant Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, before the group could pull off their plans to surprise her, Carrie left work early for a doctor’s appointment and was given the rest of the week off work.
Trish Neukam, an employment coordinator in human resources who was attempting to arrange the event, called Carrie and asked her to come back in to work for a short time to assist in a special project that was on a timeline. Carrie, who has been employed by the company since 2007, agreed to come back in to help before going home.
Then during a mock employee meeting held at Plant 21, Michael stepped from behind two whiteboards to his mother’s screams of joy and surprise.
Hank Menke, CEO and President of OFS Brands, stopped by during the event and assured Carrie she could have the rest of the day off to spend with her son.
According to Ader, he planned on surprising his sister Becca Ader next and then his father Robert. He will be on leave until June 4.
About the Army’s special services at Arlington National Cemetery
Soldiers in the Army’s 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) have a unique and powerful mission that touches lives every day – to help lay to rest men and women who have served the country.
According to Ader, they perform up to four funeral ceremonies a day. In 2014, The Old Guard performed 3,976 funerals.
Although most veterans can be interned above ground at the national cemetery, certain requirements have to be met to be buried there. A veteran must have died while on active duty; have retired from the service; or received one of several meritorious awards such as the Medal of Honor or Navy Cross.
A further distinction of The Old Guard is the time-honored custom of passing in review with fixed bayonets at all parades. This practice, officially sanctioned by the War Department in 1922, dates to the Mexican War in 1847 when the 3rd Infantry led a successful bayonet charge against the enemy at Cerro Gordo. Today, this distinction is still reserved for The Old Guard alone. 1st Battalion, 3d U.S.
