LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Joint Base San Antonio and Ellington Field base honor guard members showcased
their skills following eight days of specialized training in a graduation ceremony April 6 at the Lackland Air Force Base amphitheater.
The Airmen staged a 20-man mock active-duty funeral before participants were recognized. Completing the training course were 12 Airmen from Randolph AFB, 17 from Lackland AFB and two from Ellington Field.
USAF Honor Guard instructors from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., spent 65 hours from March 28-April 5 training the honor guard members on military funeral honors. Training on an active-duty funeral included responsibilities and requirements for the NCO in charge, pallbearers and the firing party; the proper flag fold sequence; presenting the colors; and the significance of Taps.
Staff Sgt. Krystie L. Martinez, USAF Honor Guard technical training, base
honor guard training program NCO in charge, said the training covered everything involved with rendering honors during a military funeral.
"We go to Air Force bases worldwide and train them on military funeral honors
because that's the primary mission of the base honor guard," she said.
The training team also included Airman 1st Class Jarrett Adair, pallbearer instructor, and Senior Airman Jordan Anderson, colors instructor, both USAF Honor Guard subject matter experts.
Base honor guards are mandated by Congress to render honors at military funerals. For that reason, Sergeant Martinez said it is essential base honor guards have the correct information to perform military funeral honors.
"They know what to do. (They) make the ceremony look perfect for the family because that's the most important thing," Sergeant Martinez said. "You get one shot when you go out there for a funeral and you want it to be perfect."
The base honor guard training program standardizes ceremonies and the manner in which they are performed from base to base across the Air Force. It keeps team members current on changes, provides a hands-on approach, instills confidence and is an opportunity for questions to be answered by the USAF Honor Guard team.
Senior Airman Valerie Tyler, 59th Medical Wing, said JBSA Honor Guard flights will benefit from those members who participated in the training.
"It's going to bring us together as a whole," said Airman Tyler, a flight trainer at Lackland and JBSA Honor Guard Junior Enlisted member of the year. "We'll all be on the same page and that's very important."
By standardizing military funeral services throughout the Air Force, Sergeant Martinez said the training program helps make execution universal for Air Force base honor guard members.
"The military funeral honors you're rendering should be executed with the same precision as we do at Arlington (National Cemetery) whether you're base honor guard, Air Force Honor Guard, wherever you go," she said. "Whether it's a veteran, a retiree or a full active-duty funeral, everything needs to be perfect."