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Although honor guard sequences, movements and ceremonies
can be complicated, difficult and time consuming, the
Fairchild Air Force Base Honor Guard receives the guidance
and training from one dedicated individual.
Tech.
Sgt. Carlos Torres Figueroa, 92nd Force Support Squadron
Honor Guard NCO in charge, is not only the sole honor guard
trainer, he is also the only full-time honor guard member
and has been since 2015.
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November 16, 2017 - The Fairchild Honor Guard conducts military
funeral training at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. Honor
guard’s mission is unlike any other, spending upward of 60 hours a
week together traveling, training and preparing for ceremonies. The
Fairchild Honor Guard covers the entire Pacific Northwest community,
displaying their precision and excellence in Washington, Montana,
Idaho and Oregon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mackenzie Richardson)
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“I sacrificed a lot of my family’s time my
first year here and saw how that negatively affected my
family, job and Airmen,” Torres said. “I have learned how to
balance it all. I learned more about how important family
is, just as much as I learned how important the mission is.”
Honor guard’s mission is unlike any other, spending
upward of 60 hours a week together traveling, training and
preparing for ceremonies. The Fairchild Honor Guard covers
the entire Pacific Northwest community, displaying their
precision and excellence in Washington, Montana, Idaho and
Oregon.
With each new rotation, Torres begins an
intense 12-day training regimen. These two weeks focus on
various color guard, funeral and rifle sequences and
movements, starting with the basics and slowly introducing
variations.
“Training is never done,” Torres said. “I
have a lot to teach in two weeks and not everything gets
taught. We have eight fundamental body-bearing military
funeral sequences, with each having up to 15 additional
variations based on ceremony location and flight size.”
After completing the initial 12-day training regimen,
the newest honor guardsmen jump right into ceremonies while
simultaneously learning new sequences and adapting them to
specific ceremonies and venues.
“Training takes time;
there is no other way to cut it. We work the weekends and we
work long hours,” Torres said. “We spend at least 10 hours a
day practicing and at times we are here for 12 hours.
Sometimes it takes as long as it takes.”
With an
average of more than 300 military funerals a year, both
active duty and veteran, the long hours, constant attention
to detail and training can begin to take their toll
physically and mentally.
“I am here to listen and
support these Airmen in any way I can,” Torres said. “After
doing funeral after funeral, ceremony after ceremony, it can
be beneficial to bring in the Chaplain to talk or simply
making sure the Airmen know they always have someone to talk
to.”
With a new rotation every few months, Torres
witnesses every squadron, unit and entity Fairchild has to
offer accomplishing the mission.
“This special duty
has allowed me to see the ins and outs of the Air Force
unlike ever before,” Torres said. “I now understand the
social psychology of teamwork and how different squadrons,
cultures and personalities can come together in one room to
accomplish one thing.”
Torres is scheduled to wrap up
his three-year tour with honor guard in the coming year. The
special duty position will become a two-year tour and
requires approval from the Air Force Honor Guard functional
chief at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C.
Learn more
about the United States Air Force Honor Guard
By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Mackenzie Richardson
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2018
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