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Air Force Honor Guard trains, perfects Hurlburt Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Sarah Martinez
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Members from the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard traveled hundreds of miles to conduct a two-week training class with the base honor guard members Sep. 27 to Oct. 8 to help standardize movements Air Force-wide.

The Mobile Training Team helped tweak and perfect Hurlburt Field Honor Guard movements used in different sequences including firing parties, presenting colors and retirement and funeral ceremonies.

The three-Airmen team came from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. Their mission is to go base to base making sure all the honor guard programs execute movements the same way and with precision.

"As instructors, we conduct base honor guard training to make sure every single place Alaska to the east coast is the same training," said Airman 1st Class Amber Nielsen, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard instructor. "That way somebody in Alaska has the same funeral honors as somebody on the east coast."

Honor Guard Airmen from Hurlburt Field and Eglin took part in the MTT course, learning new moves and perfecting the movements already in their repertoire.

"Its stuff we already know, but they are the subject professionals so they know every detail of what we are suppose to do," said Airman 1st Class Caleb Kesselring, 1st Special Operations Maintenance Operations Squadron plans and scheduling.

The last day of the course the students take everything they learned and put it all together to simulate a full honors funeral ceremony. This is the final test before the Airmen are allowed to graduate the course.

While the MTT travels to different Air Force bases worldwide conducting this training, Hurlburt honor guard members facilitate their own area of responsibility.

"The AOR for Hurlburt Field is about 19 counties," Airman Kesselring said. "We travel all the way to Alabama and sometimes past Panama City."

When the Hurlburt Field Honor Guard isn't out presenting the colors or performing at ceremonies, they're training to maintain their skills.

The Air Force Honor Guard has a similar schedule and emphasis on training, just with responsibilities and a bigger AOR.

"Our main mission is Arlington National Cemetery funerals, arrivals for dignitaries at the Pentagon and the White House," Airmen Nielsen said. "Also, we have a drill team, which is used to recruit for the whole Air Force all over the world."

Both the Air Force Honor Guard and Hurlburt Field Honor Guard share the excitement of what the honor guard program has to offer.

"There are tons of incentives to joining," Airman Kesselring said. "There is a lot of face time, you meet a lot of people and it's a good opportunity to make your unit look good."

"It's a great because of the publicity and the networking you get to do," Airman 1st Class Justin Baker, MTT course superintendent. "I've already met General Schwartz eight times and I've seen pretty much every single dignitary from every single country."

When Hurlburt Field Airmen volunteer for base honor guard they should expect to be out of the office for around six months. Airmen who want to join should be on the lookout for an email from their unit's first sergeant.

"I have a friend who was Air Force Honor Guard and he said if I get the opportunity I should jump on it," Airman Kesselring said. "I'm glad I did because it is the best thing I've done so far."