Horses in fallen Monroe deputy’s procession led Reagan’s caisson

FORSYTH -- Hundreds of people stood in somber silence as a horse-drawn caisson bearing the body of Michael Norris traveled the town square Friday afternoon.

The sleek, black horses seemed to sense the human sorrow for the Monroe County sheriff’s deputy killed in the line of duty.

“Their demeanor will change,” said Gary McClelland, a retired North Carolina highway patrolman who works with the horses.

Two of the horses, Percheron-Morgan cross horses known for their calm manner, once worked with the U.S. Army’s Old Guard Caisson at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 2004, they pulled the coffin of former President Ronald Reagan.

“We call them the Reagan horses. They are very special because of that reason,” McClelland said. “Danny is 24 this year, and Grant is 25, so we’re looking to retire them this year.”

The caisson was built by an Amish craftsman in Ohio who used blueprints from the Smithsonian Institution. Rollers on the back platform to ease the transfer of the casket are the only modernization, except for the sleek black finish.

In the Civil War era, the flat wagons with large wheels carried cannons and other munitions to battle and bore the weight of the dead, wounded and dying on the way out.

At some point, they became popular for funerals and are often used in ceremonial burials for heads of state.

“It’s very honorable. It’s very dignified,” McClelland said. “If U.S. presidents can be buried this way, why can’t our fallen law enforcement and emergency personnel be buried this way, also?”

The North Carolina Troopers Association and Highway Patrol Caisson Unit is funded through a nonprofit organization that collects donations and sponsors to allow it to travel to neighboring states to honor anyone killed in the line of duty.

As the four-horse team pulled up in front of Monroe County Memorial Chapel, children with American flags and blue star-shaped balloons crowded to the fence of the Forsyth United Methodist Church schoolyard.

Men and women of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office stood guard on the sidewalk stretching up Main Street toward the square.

McClelland said the military-style procession with bagpipes is emotional for the officers.

“You can hear the hooves, and once we stop, you actually hear officers weeping and crying because it’s very moving for them,” he said.

Sheriff John Cary Bittick was grateful the unit could honor the county’s first deputy killed in the line of duty.

“When we called they didn’t hesitate. They said they were happy to be here,” Bittick said. “I think it’s awesome.”

Funeral director Harley Ray “Spanky” Beck, a former Macon police officer whose son is a Monroe County deputy, said several entities worked together to coordinate the memorials and ceremonial march through town.

People lined several deep around the courthouse.

“This is a small town, and it’s like my child,” Beck said. “The community has turned out. We’re so lucky in this town because we’re family.”

Renee Jones of Morgan View Farm sheltered the horses while they were in town.

“It’s very humbling,” Jones said. “It’s very emotional. It’s just an honor and a tribute to a fallen person’s life.”

McClelland was not expecting such heartfelt support for Norris.

“Seeing the blue lights and the blue ribbons is a tribute to how well law enforcement is received here,” McClelland said. “You don’t see that everywhere. That’s been very humbling. It’s amazing the way people have been in this community.”

To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303.

This story was originally published September 19, 2014 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Horses in fallen Monroe deputy’s procession led Reagan’s caisson ."