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BLACK JACK HAS BEEN SAVED AND WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE AS THE MASCOT OF FLAGS4VETS. HE WAS PURCHASED BY A LOCAL FAMILY FOR $15,000 AT THE AUCTION ON FRIDAY, NOV. 20.
(Details to follow)
Black Jack, The JFK Caisson Horse
The National Flags for Veterans’ Graves organization, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, created a life-sized likeness of one of the most memorable horses of all time, Black Jack, the riderless horse that followed the caisson carrying the casket of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in his funeral procession to Arlington Cemetery in November of 1963. During his 29 years of service Black Jack participated in the state funerals of JFK, Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson, and Five-Star General Douglas MacArthur, and he escorted hundreds of our military to their final resting places.
Black Jack, the riderless jet-black horse that mesmerized America as he marched behind John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s funeral caisson in 1963.
Black Jack was foaled January 19, 1947, and was named after General of the Armies John J. "Black Jack" Pershing. Over a long and productive life, Black Jack served with distinction in more than 1,000 full honor military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery and marched in the funerals of Presidents John F. Kennedy (1963), Herbert Hoover, (1964), and Lyndon Johnson (1973), and General of the Army, Five-Star General Douglas MacArthur, (1964). Black Jack ended his dedicated and dignified military career on February 6, 1976, and was buried on the parade ground at Fort Myer's.
Black Jack seemed destined for greatness from birth, but never did take well to being ridden and threw rider after rider, leaving them sitting in the dust while he bucked riotously around the training corral. Gradually the riders got him under a semblance of control but he never lost his fractious and unpredictable edge; he was always approached and handled with caution.
Although fiery and difficult to manage, he was so sleek and beautiful that the army sent him to the caisson platoon at Arlington. Because of Black Jack's spirited temperament, the army was reluctant to use him in military funerals at Arlington, but once they tried him Black Jack's grace and vitality soon made him a favorite as the riderless horse that follows the caisson to the grave.
The riderless horse or caparisoned horse follows the caisson carrying the casket in a funeral procession. The custom is believed to date back to the time of Genghis Khan, and later came to symbolize a warrior who would ride no more. Black Jack was fitted with a blanket, saddle, sword, and a pair of boots reversed in the stirrups to symbolize a lost leader.
Black Black Jack's Creators: Pat Brown, Gary Carver, Mark Littrell, and Fred Moore. A special thanks goes out to The Caisson Platoon of The Old Guard of The Third Army, who helped us make the best Black Jack possible.
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