COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Every Airman that comes to Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, receives a brief from the First Term Airman Center about joining the Honor Guard.
First-term Airmen are shown the capabilities and ceremonies done in Honor Guard and are told it is a great bullet, volunteer opportunity and looks great in a Below-the-Zone package.
But what Airmen are not told, and cannot be conveyed in a briefing, is the feeling of handing a flag off to a deceased Airman’s family member and the crying face of that Airman’s next of kin, or honoring a retired chief master sergeant with more than 30 years of dedicated service, listening to all their amazing accomplishments over the course of their career.
The Columbus AFB Honor Guard's primary mission is to perform military funerals, but the job means much more. It presents the opportunity to lead and be a part of something bigger: honoring those who came before us, for without them, there would be no us.
“Being the program manager and a Guardsman for Honor Guard, it means being able to say thank you to the men and women that have served before us,” said Tech. Sgt. Arnette Snow, 14th Flying Training Wing Base Honor Guard Program Manager. “They have paved the way for not only myself, but all other Airmen in our Air Force. It means so much to be the last vision of the Air Force to those family members of the deceased we perform funerals for.”
Honor Guard renders many services including military funerals, parades, change-of-command ceremonies, banquets and more. They cover an extensive area of responsibility spanning 40,000 square miles over 72 counties and three states. This workload helps show the dedication of the Honor Guardsmen.
“I’ve always admired Honor Guard, but until I became the Program Manager, I never realized just how much it means to be a Guardsman,” Snow said. “Now that I have been doing this for a year, it has definitely shown me an even greater respect for what they do.”
Members of the Honor Guard stated they leave with a sense of satisfaction of doing something great for their country at the end of the day.
“Though I have not been a part of Honor Guard for long, it has already made a huge impact on me as an Airman and a person,” said Airman 1st Class Rolando Chavez, Base Honor Guardsman. “Having the next of kin break into tears of gratitude after watching us fold a flag and play taps for their deceased loved one is truly humbling.”
Guardsmen are expected to know and follow the Honor Guard creed at all times. It spells out HONOR, with each letter explaining a part of what makes an Airman a Guardsman.
“When you know and understand the Honor Guard creed, as all of our Guardsmen do, each letter represents what a being a Guardsman really embodies,” Snow said. “You cannot choose just one letter to be your favorite or to really show. A true Guardsman show aspects of all the letters in the creed.”
The Honor Guard program consists of three rotating flights where each flight of approximately seven Guardsmen are removed from their primary duty for one month, every three months to participate in Honor Guard full-time for the duration of that month until their contract expires.
“I would recommend volunteering for Honor Guard to any young or old Airman, male or female who wants to give a final thank you to those who have come before,” Snow said. “I want Guardsmen to understand Honor Guard is not a privilege, it is as our creed says, an honor; it is an honor to look a widow in the eye and give their final respects to that person’s loved one who has served.”
Those wishing to become a member of Honor Guard may contact Tech. Sgts. Arnette Snow or Damon Snead at 434-2316.