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Honor Guard Mobile Training Team

Base honor guard pallbearers carry a casket in a mock active-duty funeral, May 20, 2015, at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. Three members of the Air Force Honor Guard Mobile Training Team conducted a seven-day training course for honor guard members from Keesler, Columbus AFB, Miss., Maxwell AFB, Ala., and the 159th Fighter Wing Louisiana Air National Guard. Honor guard members were trained on firing party, flag presentations and pallbearer duties. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Holly Mansfield)

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Honor Guard Mobile Training Team

Honor guard pallbearers fold the American flag during a mock active-duty funeral, May 20, 2015, at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. Three members of the Air Force Honor Guard Mobile Training Team conducted a seven-day course for honor guard members from Keesler, Columbus AFB, Miss., Maxwell AFB, Ala., and the 159th Fighter Wing Louisiana Air National Guard. Participants were trained on firing party, flag presentations and pallbearer duties. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Holly Mansfield)

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Honor Guard Mobile Training Team

Honor guard pallbearers fold the American flag during a mock active-duty funeral, May 20, 2015, at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. Three members of the Air Force Honor Guard Mobile Training Team conducted a seven-day course for honor guard members from Keesler, Columbus AFB, Miss., Maxwell AFB, Ala., and the 159th Fighter Wing Louisiana Air National Guard. Participants were trained on firing party, flag presentations and pallbearer duties. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Holly Mansfield)

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Honor Guard Mobile Training Team

Air Force 2nd Lt. John Newland, 159th Fighter Wing Louisiana Air National Guard Base Honor Guard member, presents the U.S. flag to Chief Master Sgt. Sachiko Cleveland, 81st Force Support Squadron superintendent, during a mock active duty funeral, May 20, 2015, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. Three members of the Air Force Honor Guard Mobile Training Team conducted a 7-day training course for members of the Keesler, Columbus AFB, Maxwell AFB, Ala., and the 159th FW Louisiana Air National Guard base honor guards. During the training participants were trained on firing party, flag presentations and pallbearer duties. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Holly Mansfield)

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Honor Guard Mobile Training Team

Leadership and family members watch honor guard members from Keesler and Columbus Air Force Bases, Miss., Maxwell AFB, Ala., and 159th Fighter Wing Louisiana Air National Guard participate in a mock active-duty funeral, May 20, 2015, at Keesler. Three members of the Air Force Honor Guard Mobile Training Team conducted a seven-day training course for honor guard members that covered firing party, flag presentations and pallbearer duties. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Holly Mansfield)

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Honor Guard Mobile Training Team

Airman 1st Class Keli Haines, honor guard member from Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., plays Taps during a mock active-duty funeral, May 20, 2015, at Keesler AFB, Miss. Three members of the Air Force Honor Guard Mobile Training Team conducted a seven-day course for honor guard members from Keesler, Maxwell, Columbus AFB, Miss., and the 159th Fighter Wing Louisiana Air National Guard. Participants were trained on firing party, flag presentations and pallbearer duties. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Holly Mansfield)

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Mobile training team brings honor, skills to Keesler

Published May 27, 2015
By Senior Airman Holly Mansfield
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Mobile Training Team recently held an seven-day course for 24 participants from Keesler, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., Maxwell AFB, Ala., and the 159th Fighter Wing Louisiana Air National Guard.

The training provided 80 hours of procedural guidance for rendering proper military funeral honors.

"At the end of the course, the members will be certified in the different aspects of conducting military funeral honors," said Airman 1st Class Amber Marcum, one of the three instructors.
Participants were split up into three groups during the training and rotated through all aspects of a proper military funeral -- proper military customs, pallbearing, drill techniques, firing party procedures, rendering the U.S. and Air Force flags and maintenance and proper wear of the ceremonial uniform.

"I was proud to go through this course and see everyone do so well," said Senior Airman Justin Callender, a Keesler honor guard member from the 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron. "As honor guard members, we represent the Air Force and the military as a whole. It's special to me because when I was deployed, I was able to see fallen military members respected with a proper military funeral. It makes me proud to be a part of this team because we are likely to be the last military contact the families of fallen military members will have, and I know that we will always represent the Air Force well."

A graduation ceremony and mock active-duty military funeral were held at the end of the training to demonstrate the progress the honor guard members made over the span of the training course to leaders from the participating Air Force units.

"Over the past days, I have seen a significant improvement," said Marcum. "The first day they had to learn how to come together as a team and learn techniques they might not have known before. As a member of the training team, one of the best feelings is seeing the group you are training execute everything properly on graduation day."