During the late former president Jimmy Carter’s funeral, a soldier standing outside the church was seen collapsing for an unknown reason. As the soldiers stood in formation, lined up along the entrance into the building, one of the soldiers suddenly buckled under himself and fell to the ground motionless. As his fellow soldiers remained in formation, another individual came and dragged him away.
Jimmy Carter passed away late last month at the age of 100. Carter’s funeral was attended by almost every living former president and first lady, with the exception of Michelle Obama, who had a scheduling conflict. Carter, a renowned member of the Democratic Party, was the longest-lived United States President and the first to reach a century in age.
“A soldier’s condition remains unknown after he collapsed during funeral service for Jimmy Carter Thursday,” the popular X account Breaking 911 wrote, sharing the clip. However, comments flooded underneath the post from those with military experience, giving advice when standing in formation for long periods of time.
One former service member said, “Don’t lock your knees. Signed, a former honor guardsman.” Weighing in on the situation another person said, “This is kind of normal when standing in formation. Many people faint if they lock their knees while standing for too long. Military men are used to this and typically will not break bearing just because someone falls. Maybe he locked his knees on purpose to get out of there.”
Giving a similar comment, another person wrote in the comments section, “Believe it or not, this is actually extremely common in the military. After serving in the USMC, and standing in formation for hours at a time, Marines fainted A LOT! If that Soldier didn’t eat properly or was dehydrated, and his knees were locked, he likely fainted.”
“That happens all the time when soldiers are in formation. If they’re dehydrated, it’s hot, they’re wearing uniforms, can’t move for hours, etc. Luckily never happened to me, but I would hear/see them fall out frequently,” another wrote.
They added, “The standing still and not moving for hours is the worst part, regardless of the weather. Like others have mentioned, they also tell you not to lock your knees. It’s the worst. Whenever a general would retire or be newly appointed, I’d be dreading the ceremony.” Another said, “This happens more than you know. Standing hours at a time. Never lock your knees. Military honor guard have to stand longer than normal officers.”
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“Happens more often than you think. Locking up legs for long period of time cuts off blood flow, then slightest movement causes blood to rush back into them. The result is passing out,” another person commented, echoing similar sentiment. However, some seemed more conspiratorial about the cause of the incident. “I can’t believe we are living in this. We all know what this is,” another comment read.
Watch the incident below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.