Aquinas Color Guard Honors Lafayette Bicentennial
![A group of people in formal attire, likely a school or organization, standing in front of a building with American and other flags displayed.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1749858625/aquinasacademyinfo/pefu1buocvotslqfedis/Lafayette-2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1749858625/aquinasacademyinfo/pefu1buocvotslqfedis/Lafayette-2.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1749858625/aquinasacademyinfo/pefu1buocvotslqfedis/Lafayette-2.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1749858625/aquinasacademyinfo/pefu1buocvotslqfedis/Lafayette-2.jpg","width":1080}])
On May 31, 2025, student from Aquinas Academy participated in an historic ceremony commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to the Arsenal in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. In 1825, Lafayette was greeted at the site by Captain Murray's troop of light dragoons for breakfast with Major Churchill, the commandant, as part of his famed “Grand Tour” of the United States.
The anniversary event, hosted by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, featured a formal color ceremony, a wreath presentation, and a solemn “Pass in Review”. The Honorary French Consul accepted a National SAR award posthumously on behalf of Lafayette.
The Aquinas Academy Color Guard played a role throughout the event. With Peter Koble as the platoon commander, the unit carried French regimental flags representing the units that fought in the American Revolution, as well as Lafayette’s battalion flag and family crest. The color guard served as the official escort detail for Major General Pippy and rendered ceremonial honors during “TAPS” and the formal “Pass in Review.”
