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PHOENIX - As the echoes from the final volley of the firing party
quiet, the bugler wets his lips one last time before exhaling into
his horn. The familiar sound of taps plays out across this hallowed
ground, signaling the arrival of a hero to their final resting
place.
Members of the Arizona National Guard's Honor Guard
meticulously fold the stars and stripes into the shape of a
tri-cornered hat, emblematic of the hats worn by colonial soldiers
during the war for Independence. In the folding, the red and white
stripes are finally wrapped into the blue field of stars, as if
disappearing into the darkness of night. As the flag is passed into
the hands of the surviving family members, tearful eyes watch as the
final salute is rendered.
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Members of the Arizona National Guard's Honor Guard stand ready during a service at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona here, May 7,
2015. As one of the busiest Honor Guards in the Southwest Region, Arizona's Honor Guard participates in over 150 services a month. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Monette Wesolek)
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For the Arizona Honor Guard, this ceremony holds no less
importance than the other 16,000-plus they have performed
since Jan. 1, 2000, when the National Defense Authorization
Act mandated that the United States armed forces provide the
rendering of honors in a military funeral for any eligible
veteran, if requested by his or her family.
Army
Staff Sgt. Christopher Potucek is the noncommissioned
officer in charge of the Arizona National Guard's 20-member
Honor Guard detail and has been a member of the team since
2009.
“Demands on members of the Arizona's Honor
Guard is high,” said Potucek. “The state of Arizona has a
large number of military veterans and retirees, which
contributes to our Honor Guard teams performing over 150
funerals per month. Our performance numbers would be even
higher but Fort Huachuca assists with covering services
south of Tucson.”
To keep up with the tempo of
requests, the Arizona National Guard maintains 10 full-time
team members and 10 part-time members, which rotate
responsibilities.
Members make up three teams. One
team performs all services at the National Memorial Cemetery
of Arizona. The second team performs services at the
outlying local cemeteries throughout the state. The third
team conducts day-to-day operations and trains on funeral
service specifics. These teams rotate weekly to maintain the
sharpest performances possible.
“We provide this
service for the families, to pay respect for their sacrifice
and to ensure that the service members receive the final
respects they are entitled,” said Potucek.
Applications for membership to the Honor Guard are almost as
high as its demands. Each year, members from all across the
Arizona Army National Guard are submitted for review to be
accepted onto one of the teams. Each application is
carefully reviewed, and the demands of the position are
explained in detail.
“I joined the Honor Guard in
December 2010 as a part-time member,” said Staff Sgt.
Nicholas Baca, a senior member of the Arizona National
Guard's Honor Guard who has participated in over 1,600
funeral services to date. “I did not understand the
responsibility in delivering the respect to the veteran and
their family like I do today. Most people only attend four
or five funerals in their lifetime and even fewer truly
develop a deep awareness of the process.”
For Honor
Guard members, training begins with a 40-hour introduction
and evaluation course. During this course, prospective
members are provided classroom and hands-on instruction on
drill and ceremony, flag folding and funeral detail
specifics. An end of course test is given and overall
performance is weighed before an invitation to join the
Honor Guard is extended.
“The members of the team
are here to represent the United States Army. Even when you
make the team the training never stops,” said Baca. “You are
constantly training to stay proficient and always mastering
your craft.”
For the service member who has passed
and the family left behind, this last humble act by the
Arizona National Guard's Honor Guard is the final act of
gratitude from a nation built on the selfless service and
sacrifices of our men and women the United States armed
forces.
As mandated by federal law, an honor guard
detail for the burial of an eligible veteran shall consist
of no less than two members of the armed forces. One member
of the detail shall be a representative of the parent armed
service of the deceased veteran. The honor guard detail
will, at a minimum, perform a ceremony that includes the
folding and presenting of the flag of the United States to
the next of kin and the playing of Taps.
The National
Guard identifies four regions for Honor Guard
responsibilities. Arizona is in the southwest region, which
includes New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Arkansas,
Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Hawaii. Historically,
Arizona's Honor Guard has been one of the busiest in the
region, keeping on pace with Texas, which according to the
United States Census Bureau has a population of just over 19
million more people than Arizona.
By U.S. Army Spc. Wesley Parrell
Arizona National Guard
Public Affairs
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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