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Past
Glory :-
For their services , they are paid a
modest salary according to rank and
service, together with accommodation
and other small privileges. Like back
home in Punjab , the Sikh families
considered it as prestige for the
family to send one their sons to the
Indian military, so too here , the
Catholic families acted earlier in the
same manner. Probably because of this
and the rather monastic lifestyle,
despite the immense esteem of the
visiting crowds, most of the guards
choose to return to Switzerland to
pursue other occupations after two
years. When they do return, ,nearly
all proudly regard their time in Rome
as a member of this unique military
body as being one of the highlights of
their lives. I met recently Mr Jean
Scheyerle from Zurich who served
during the pontificate of John XX111
during the fifties and he had lots of
events to narrate to me . His photo
came as cover picture on “Holy Day
Magazine “ . They are the rearguard of
that mighty parade of a million and
more fighting men who for five
centuries embodied the essence of the
Swiss tradition of military service
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