present arms

In his book “April 1865: The Month that Saved America,” Jay Winik recounts how, after signing the surrender of the Southern Army, when leaving the courthouse, Lee and his disconsolate followers found Grant’s troops waiting solemnly outside, not to gloat but to present arms.

“Present arms!” the leader of the rifle drill team shouted, followed by other orders like “Order arms!” and “March!” as the cadets responded in unison.

Alone on a Seoul street, he’ll pretend his umbrella is a rifle and present arms as he lifts his now aged legs in a rigid, still springy march and remembers the long-ago, exalted feeling.

After a brief service, the family rises, the officers present arms, and a seven-man team fires a three-volley salute — three sets of seven shots.

“I gave the command to present arms, and we raised our sabers for Kennedy to walk under, like a tunnel,” Broadus said.