By Patrick Cloonan
Published: Tuesday, May 28, 2013, 4:41?a.m.
Updated 46 minutes ago
A riderless horse solemnly reminded observers at White Oak's Memorial Day parade that many who fought the nation's wars did not return, and many who did come home are no longer with us.
One of those is Cheryl Fox's brother Daniel J. Tomko, a Vietnam veteran who died on Oct. 2, 2005, from the effects of exposure to Agent Orange.
It was to honor his memory and that of his countless comrades that Fox led her horse, Bear, through the borough's streets.
Tomko served in the Signal Corps, his sister said, and once rescued his entire unit during a battle.
?My brother was so well liked by everyone,? she recalled. ?He got the accommodation award.?
Her brother loved horses, one of the reasons she started bringing Bear to parades two years ago.
Another reason was the passing of a horse belonging to her friend Carol Duffy, a retired mounted police officer in Pittsburgh who led her horse in parades.
?The parade was coming up and I had assisted my friend with her horse,? Fox said. ?I was told by parade organizers I should take my horse and go to the White Oak American Legion.?
Bear turned 18 on Monday, Fox said.
?Eighteen for a horse is better than it used to be,? Fox said. ?If he was a person, 18 would be middle aged.?
Fox's husband Terry assists with Bear.
?He does all this with me,? Cheryl Fox said. ?He is a Navy veteran, and is on Bear's right side during the parade.?
The riderless horse represents one of the Army's oldest and most evocative traditions.
?The horse is led behind the caisson wearing an empty saddle with the rider's boots reversed in the stirrups,? the Army's website says.
That indicates a warrior never will ride again. Fox said the practice dates back to Greek and Roman times.
?The person who is leading the horse is leading the deceased, who is waving good-bye,? Fox said.
Bear led the parade last year but walked further back on Monday. On his saddle pack were patches worn by Tomko's Signal Corps brigade. Fox wore a jacket that her brother brought back from Vietnam.
Army tradition is that a caparisoned horse ? adorned with a special cloth ? follows the casket at any funeral for a commissioned Army or Marine Corps officer of colonel or higher rank.
Patrick Cloonan is a staff writer for Trib Total Media.
He can be reached at 412-664-9161, ext. 1967, or pcloonan@tribweb.com.
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