Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team trains at Keesler Published March 24, 2010 By Staff Sgt. Kimberly Moore 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Keesler hosted the Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team this month so members could escape the day-to-day distractions at their home station, Bolling Air Force Base, D.C., and focus solely on writing a new routine. Thirty-five drill team members arrived at Keesler March 1 to begin training for the upcoming season. "We are the only service that re-writes our performance every year," said Staff Sgt. Michael Doss, the team's noncommissioned officer in charge. "We go (on temporary duty) for about a month out of the year to learn and perfect the upcoming season's performance in order to showcase it across the country and around the world." Capt. Michael Fanton, the drill team's flight commander, said some things to look forward to in the new routine are "a standard 16-person performance, featuring a professionally choreographed sequence of show-stopping weapon maneuvers, precise tosses, complex weapon exchanges and a walk through the gauntlet of spinning weapons." Captain Fanton explained that drill team members are selected from current Air Force Honor Guard personnel. "The drill team members represent the best of each of the individual ceremonial flights and are all members who have risen to the challenge and developed the discipline required to be a member of this elite performance unit," he said. "Most of our Honor Guard members come straight from basic training," Sergeant Doss pointed out. "The Air Force Honor Guard travels to Lackland AFB, Texas, quarterly to brief and recruit trainees who are close to completing basic military training. The rest of the honor guard comes from prior enlisted military members who apply through a very stringent application process. Once in the Honor Guard, the drill team will start recruiting sharp Airmen to come and try out for the team." Sergeant Doss said the best part of being on the drill team is being able to get out and interact with the public and the rest of the Air Force and actually make a difference in how they feel about the Air Force. "We perform at all sorts of events and venues like professional sporting events and at high schools, air shows and Air Force bases," he said. "Sometimes we will be on the road for weeks at a time and other times for just a couple of days. We average about 120 to 130 performances a year." While at Keesler, the team has been writing, perfecting and begin to perform its new routine. Although the team doesn't have much free-time, Sergeant Doss said the members are enjoying their time in south Mississippi. "We're enjoying our time here very much," Sergeant Doss said. "We went from record-setting snowfall this winter at Bolling to mid 60s and an ocean view here at Keesler." The team is scheduled to depart Keesler to perform at Saturday's open house at Maxwell AFB, Ala. For the drill team's schedule, visit http://www.honorguard.af.mil/drillteam. For more information about joining the Air Force Honor Guard, go to http://www.honorguard.af.mil.