Honor guard — precision, professionalism, pride

Published Oct. 1, 2008
By Susan Griggs
Keesler News staff

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- Precision, professionalism and pride distinguish the members of the Keesler Honor Guard.

Anyone who's attended a military funeral or formal ceremony can appreciate the steady gaze, precise movements, flawless uniforms and reverential patriotism of its members.

The honor guard renders military honors for fallen veterans, performs ceremonies with precision, professionalism and pride and strives to exceed the standards of conduct and appearance while demonstrating the highest level of commitment.

Keesler members represent the Air Force across 68 counties and parishes covering 48,000 square miles of southern Mississippi and Louisiana.

Last year, members rendered honors at 394 funerals. Through August, the honor guard has already traveled nearly 77,000 miles to serve at 334 funerals, not to mention retirement and promotion ceremonies and other official functions.

Friday, an honor guard certification ceremony recognized new members who recently completed two weeks of training.

"I love this job," said Senior Master Sgt. Andrea Turner, a seven-year honor guard member who's served as superintendent for two years. She's been at Keesler for 16 of her 22 years in the Air Force. "I see younger Airmen come into the honor guard for training thinking it is easy and no big deal. After the 90-day rotation, many of them request that I talk to their units to extend their tour of duty."

Members are selected using through their respective unit leadership and on a voluntary basis.

"Eleven of our current 18 members are new with little to no previous honor guard experience," Sergeant Turner pointed out. "Around the base, there are roughly about 15 previous members that volunteer consistently for weekends and non-duty-hour functions. Some of those members have been associated with the honor guard for more than two years."

Sergeant Turner is trying to recruit at least 100 members for a year-long honor guard commitment.

"For 90 days, they're considered the primaries for military honors," she explained. "The next 90 days, they're on standby -- after the list of primary members is exhausted, these members are called to help fill the military honor commitment that particular day."

Members are considered inactive for the next 185 days.

"They'll only be called upon to perform military honors when both the on-call and standby members are unavailable," Sergeant Turner added. "Also during this period, members may participate on their own on a voluntary basis."

All ranks are encouraged to participate, and there's always a need for more members with the increasing number of requests for service at funerals and other ceremonies.

The current honor guard requirement for military honors is seven members for a retired Air Force member, two for a veteran and 20 for an active-duty Air Force member.

Sergeant Turner says every Airman should have an opportunity to serve with the honor guard.

"The honor guard provides instant gratification for a job well done," Sergeant Turner remarked. "When you perform with your teammates and you know you are representing the entire Air Force -- the entire Department of Defense -- it instills a since a pride and responsibility. Family members are so grateful that we service members take the time out of our busy schedules to pay tribute to their loved one who served alongside of us. Sometimes they give us hugs and tell us how proud they are of what we do and the sacrifices we make on a daily basis.

"We don't wear name tags, which intensifies what the uniform represents," she added. "We honor with dignity and we serve with pride."