On Friday, March 14, six Airmen were welcomed into the 90th Missile Wing’s Base Honor Guard. While the ceremonial funeral required for graduation was just an imitation, it ensured the verse “I will never leave an Airman behind” in the Airman’s Creed was not only remembered but was exhibited.
To become part of the honor guard, Airmen must apply and be selected by the program manager. The selected then undergo two weeks of honor guard training at the Pronghorn Center on base. This training teaches the Airmen the protocols of the honor guard such as flag folding, firing, and performing in color details. After completing the course, the graduates demonstrate the procedures of a mock funeral as their final test for becoming an honor guardsman in front of a crowd.
Airman 1st Class Jaireliz Garcia-Rodriquez, 90th Security Forces Squadron installation entry controller, graduated the 90 MW Base Honor Guard course last fall and is now a lead instructor who pushed the newest ceremonial guardsman to a successful graduation.
“Attending the change of command ceremony for the 20th Air Force and seeing the base honor guard present the colors sparked my initial interest in joining myself,” Garcia-Rodriquez said. “It brought back memories of my high school honor guard experience. The base honor guard’s sharp and disciplined demeanor left me impressed, which inspired me to want to participate at some point in my career.”
With taking this leadership position, guiding, mentoring, and instructing the team is critical in ensuring Airmen are well prepared to fulfill ceremonial guardsmen roles. Garcia-Rodriguez explains that by perfecting uniform standards, drill procedures, and military honors, the honor guard helps uphold the important traditions in the Air Force that have been observed since May 1948.
Upholding tradition in the Air Force honors those who have served while reminding those who serve today of the footsteps they walk in. These traditions, as well as their execution, serve as a poignant reminder for the 90 MW Base Honor Guard that anything less than excellence is below their standards, leaving little room for mistakes.
“A lot of the things we do today are still the same from when the honor guard was established,” said Senior Airman Gabriel Moore, 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron defender and lead instructor. “The training includes honing discipline, making sure uniform standards are upheld to the highest degree, and remaining superbly conditioned to perfect all movements to perfect every drill and ceremony”
The cycling of members in the 90 MW Base Honor Guard is constant. This allows for multiple Airmen to get the opportunity to take on this additional duty, while those cycling out return to their career fields.
The 90 MW Base Honor Guard at F.E. Warren Air Force Base provides services to veterans, retirees, and fallen active-duty members over 9,500 square miles of Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado. In doing so, the details provide those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and their families the proper respect and honor in a solemn time.
For those cycling into the 90 MW Base Honor Guard though, the significance of their duties is not lost on them, thanks to their instructors.
“The honor guard will always have a role in anything the Air Force does, whether it be award ceremonies, promotions, retirements, or funerals,” said Airman 1st Class Andrew Richardson, 90th Munitions Squadron nuclear weapons technician. “We will always play an essential role in executing the mission.”
