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JBSA News
NEWS | June 6, 2008

Dream fulfilled for Lackland Honor Guard

By Reggie Thompson 37th Training Wing Public Affairs Office

For Senior Airman Swani Philipp, being part of the Lackland Honor Guard was the realization of a longtime dream.

"I always wanted to be in the Honor Guard," said Airman Philipp. "My grandfather passed away when I was very young and I was impressed by the Honor Guard at his funeral. It was pretty much a given that I'd join the military, eventually."

Airman Philipp is currently a member of the 70-member Lackland Honor Guard, an organization that performs a variety of duties both on and off base. Military funerals currently represent one of its largest commitments.

According to Tech. Sgt. Bobbi Russell, NCO in charge, the Honor Guard lends its services to 25 to 35 funerals each week. After Brooks AFB became Brooks City Base, many of the duties that normally fell to the Brooks Honor Guard are now the responsibility of Lackland. As a result, the number of events covered by the Lackland Honor Guard has doubled.

"We do about 1,000 to 1,200 funerals a year," Sergeant Russell confirmed.

The funerals of active-duty and retired veterans are among those at which the Honor Guard is present.

Sergeant Russell also explained the demands placed on the Honor Guard by the numerous funerals.

"We have 70 [people] right now, but we should have 112," she said. "Manning is down and that hurts us in fulfilling our mandated funeral requirements."

In addition to funerals, the Honor Guard has been present at military and civilian functions across South Texas. These have ranged from a Houston motocross competition to bull riding and professional sports in San Antonio.

"We've done Spurs and Missions games," Tech. Sgt. Jason Schelke explained. "We've been at veterans' groups, graduations, press conferences and joint service ventures." The Honor Guard's duties this year have taken it as far as Temple.

There are several means through which the Honor Guard receives prospective members. A quota system is used, in which a specified range of people are selected to participate in its activities. Usually, 3 percent of airmen through technical sergeants from each unit are chosen for the Honor Guard duties.

Other individuals either volunteer or are encouraged to join by commanding officers or first sergeants. According to Sergeant Russell, many choose to remain with the Honor Guard after joining.

A mandatory weeklong training course introduces members to the unit's unique skills and requirements.

"It takes them from the ground up," said Sergeant Russell.

New personnel are introduced to differences between drill learned in basic military training and that performed in the Honor Guard. These include facing and standard weapons movements that differ from those previously used.

The Honor Guard requires a one-year commitment with 12 on-call periods from its members. If this schedule is disrupted by a deployment, the lost time is made up once the individual returns to Lackland.

For Sergeant Russell, ceremonies with an Honor Guard presence function as a link between Lackland and the San Antonio community.