I had the honor of standing parade guard for Gen Doolittle on 5 May 1989 as he was the parade marshal for our air-show that day at Chanute AFB. Crummy weather, low ceiling and intermittent snow, yet the Thunderbirds still flew in his honor. I stood on the route and helped manage traffic in my issue greatcoat, but I got to lay eyes and salute the man as he passed.
!942 to 1989, for me it was history being passed down. For a young airman as I was, it felt like taking the torch. This is the guy I read about and idolized as a boy. Now I'm standing in his presence. Very few salutes I ever threw were more earnest. That was an honest "present arms".