The Ultimate Tribute: Reservists learn how to render the final honor

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  They serve in football stadiums, on airport runways, in ceremonies and in funerals. These elite few are trained to move as one and maintain their composure while they pay final honors to America's heroes. The U.S. Air Force's Honor Guard is charged with representing the United States military to the American people, and it is a duty they take seriously. To prepare for the demands of this charge, six members of the 927th Air Refueling graduated from the U.S. Air Force's Basic Protocol, Honors and Ceremonies Course here on December 5, 2012.

"These graduates have volunteered to do this duty on the most solemn and sad of occasions," said Col. James Hodges, commander of the 6th Air Mobility Wing's Mission Support Group. "The hardest and most incredible honor you will perform is when you hand someone that American flag and say 'On behalf of a grateful nation ...'"

The eight-day course, hosted at MacDill Air Force Base, taught the students all the roles the honor guard plays when performing their duties. Each student learned to serve on the color guard, firing detail, casket bearing, and flag folding. Additionally, the students learned care and maintenance of their ceremonial uniforms so they would present the most professional image to everyone who would see them perform their duties. While the drilling movements were hard enough to learn on their own, students had to learn how to operate as a team.

"The hardest part of this course is teaching people to see themselves not as individuals, but as a team," said Staff Sgt. Jonathan Ramos, an honor guard technical school instructor. "This class had a lot of different personalities, but they were all very motivated and I'm sure they'll do a great job."

For the new graduates, the responsibility of paying respect to the surviving members of a servicemember or veteran's family is a heavy responsibility they take seriously.

"If we don't act as a team, we won't represent the military or ourselves very well," said Master Sgt. Vanessa Maxfield, a member of the commander support staff with the 927th Mission Support Group and recent graduate of the course. "We didn't have a lot of time to learn all of the roles so we had to really pay attention. What we do is important, so I know the effort will be worth it."

"This is a very important undertaking for all of you," Hodges said to the new graduates. "You've received instruction from the best, and I know you'll represent our nation well in people's time of need."