United States Air Force Base Honor Guard
Encyclopedia
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. The Honor Guard's primary mission is to represent the Air Force at all public and official ceremonies within the National Capital Region and abroad when directed by the Military District of Washington, Headquarters U.S. Air Force or subordinate commands. Ceremonies include those for visiting dignitaries and military officials, funerals for deceased Air Force personnel and their dependents, and wreath-laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. USAF HG also provides color bearers for official White House receptions, state and military occasions and for joint service colors presentations which comprise all five services (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard). Every base in the Air Force has a Base Honor Guard (BHG) team; each team is composed of selected members from various other units stationed at that base. USAF HG is a stand-alone unit that is permanently assigned to Bolling AFB, Washington DC. A posting to this unit is considered a special duty assignment, meaning that Air Force members world-wide from all career fields apply for this duty. If selected, they are withdrawn from their career fields and reassigned to Bolling AFB for a standard tour of duty (normally 3 years; basic trainees are assigned for 2). It is separate from BHG units whose members perform both Honor Guard and their primary functional duties. The ceremonial uniforms worn by BHG and USAF HG are identical with the following exceptions: members assigned to USAF HG wear white shirts, full-size anodized medals, a chrome-plated Honor Guard badge and a left shoulder arc reading "USAF Honor Guard" while members assigned to a BHG wear standard-issue Air Force blue shirts, ribbons, a colored enamel Honor Guard badge, and a left shoulder arc reading "Base Honor Guard".
A USAF Honor Guard member is traditionally referred to as a Ceremonial Guardsman.
Origins
USAF HG's origins can be traced to May 1948 when Headquarters Command, United States Air Force, directed the creation of an elite ceremonial unit comparable to that of the other services. A ceremonial unit was activated within the 1100th Air Police Squadron at Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, with the responsibility of maintaining an Air Force ceremonial capability in the National Capital Region. 24 years later, USAF HG officially became a separate squadron in 1972 and has remained at Bolling to this day.
Base Honor Guard training role
For 25 years, the Air Force used the base detail method to provide for military funeral honors. The Mortuary AffairsMortuary Affairs
right|thumbnail|A soldier from a graves registration unit attempts identification of a skull during [[World War II]]Mortuary Affairs is a service within the United States Army Quartermaster Corps tasked with the retrieval, identification, transportation, and burial of deceased American and...
office would routinely task the installation's security police
Air Force Security Forces
United States Air Force Security Forces are the Military Police, Base Security and Air Base Ground Defense forces of the United States Air Force...
squadron with the burial detail. However, the selected detail members usually had little to no experience with burials, thus the quality of the ceremony suffered. In 1995, the Protocol, Honors and Ceremonies course was established to provide all BHG programs with much needed written guidance on funeral procedures and the authorized wear of the ceremonial uniform
Uniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
. Still used, this course provides standardization throughout the Air Force. Depending on the circumstances, a contingent of Airmen from an Air Force base may travel to Bolling AFB for formal training conducted by USAF HG's training flight. Alternatively, a trainer may be sent to the base from Bolling on temporary duty to perform the required training.
In January 2000, Public Law 106-65, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, October 5, 1999, Section 578, and Title 10, United States Code, Armed Forces, was implemented, providing for all veterans to receive, at a minimum, a funeral ceremony that includes the folding of a U.S. flag, presentation of the flag to the next-of-kin, and the playing of "Taps
Taps
"Taps" is a musical piece sounded by the U.S. military nightly to indicate that it is "lights out". The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfields Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done". It is also played during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet...
".
Types of ceremonies performed
Any service member honorably discharged after six months of service in the U.S. Air Force or any of the pre-1947 Air Force/Army organizations and considered to be in veteran status is entitled to the Veterans Funeral Honors. Veterans Funeral Honors are performed by either a two-man or three-man team. In a two-man ceremony, "TapsTaps
"Taps" is a musical piece sounded by the U.S. military nightly to indicate that it is "lights out". The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfields Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done". It is also played during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet...
" is played after the folding of the flag, whereas in the three-man version, "Taps" is played before the flag-folding is complete.
For retired service members who have completed 20 years or more in the USAF or any of the pre-1947 Air Force/Army organizations, they receive the Standard Honors funeral service. This detail consists of a pall-bearing sequence, a six-man flag fold (performed by the pallbearers), a three-volley rifle salute, and the playing of "Taps". After this is completed, the flag will be presented to the next-of-kin. Three expended shell casings may be presented to the next-of-kin upon request.
Active-duty deaths or anyone deserving of a Full Honors ceremony will receive a ceremony performed by twenty guardsmen; consisting of six pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
s, seven firing party members, four color guard
Color guard
In the military of the United States and other militaries, the color guard carries the National Color and other flags appropriate to its position in the chain of command. Typically these include a unit flag and a departmental flag...
smen, one bugler, one non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
(NCO) in charge of the firing party, and one officer in charge of the detail. If the fallen service member was on flying status, a flyover may be authorized utilizing a single or multiple aircraft of the type that the deceased served upon. This is sometimes referred to as the "missing man formation
Missing man formation
The missing man formation is an aerial salute performed as part of a flyover of aircraft at a funeral or memorial event, typically in memory of a fallen pilot. The missing man formation is often called "the missing man flyby"...
".
Sources
- This text was taken from AFPAM 36-2241V1, pp. 120–121.1