Honor guard Memorable experience for this first-term Airman

  • Published
  • By Airmen David Salanitri
  • 81st Training Wing Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Editor's note: This is the last in a series of three first-person articles on Keesler News staff writer Airman David Salanitri's experiences with the Keesler Honor Guard.

Honor guard was my first duty as a permanent party member, quite a transition for a new Airman fresh out of basic training and technical school. 

The experience has given me memories I know will stay with me for a lifetime.
 
I think about the friends I've made and times we've shared. Riding in a van together for up to five hours at a time, you get to know people. 

It continues to amaze me how you're kidding with someone one moment and the next you're staring that person in the eyes as you pass the colors to them with the most serious expression on your face. 

"Honor guard is your job," Staff Sgt. Wade Woods told me during my first week. "There are days you're going to love it and there are days you're going to hate it." 

For me, every bad experience there was outweighed by two good ones. So, in the end, I loved it. What I loved most was being part of a team whose mission is embroidered on the honor guard patch -- "To honor with dignity."