LAST SALUTE IS NOT FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT OR ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION AND DEPENDS COMPLETELY UPON YOUR SUPPORT. PLEASE DONATE TODAY.Last Salute, the Military Funeral Honor Guard, has recently acquired a Civil War cannon for use at military funerals and veteran’s ceremonies. The “Jaime Lee” is scheduled to be christened on July 4th at 7am in front of the Absecon VFW building. The Honor Guard is awaiting the wheels and axle for the cannon’s field carriage. The building of the carriage will be done by Chuck Knutson with the help of Schairer Bros. Saw Mill in Galloway, as well as Steve Amadio and will consist of locally sourced white oak. The wheels are solid hickory and are being built by the same carriage company that built the funeral hearse for President Abraham Lincoln. The cannon is a Mountain Howitzer 12 pounder and will weigh close to 1000 pounds when completed. It was forged at a foundry in Missouri and a blacksmith in Tennessee forged the carriage hardware. The “Jaime Lee” is in the foreground in the photo above. Behind the cannon is the Honor Guard Marine Artillery Unit and the Honor Guard Rifle Squad flanked by the VFW Post 9462 Commander Bob Dunn. We would welcome the help of any local woodworking craftsman or metal workers willing to donate their time to help with this important community project. Contact Chuck Knutson if you would like to help at 609-780-7432. To learn more about the free veteran’s services the Honor Guard provides, visit www.LastSalute.US
