Lessons learned in Honor Guard

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Donald Cosenza
  • 60th Aerial Port Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Being an honor guardsman is a personal experience. To speak of it truly does it no justice. What the audience sees is different from what the individual team members experience.

I believe the behind-the-scenes moments of any task are often the most interesting because that's where the audience sees conflict and struggle slither among the participants.  Ultimately, the delivery of the experience is more fulfilling because you saw commitment overcome hardship.

The audience does not see the early wake ups, countless rehearsals or the 13-hour days.  They do not experience your endless hand cramps, the drops of sweat that always seem to find your eyes or how your teeth silently chatter in the cold rain no matter how much you will them to stop.

Yet, despite the ailments we endure, as we stand sentry for our guest of honor, all the audience sees is the precision and execution of our movements. No matter the circumstance, you do not panic or struggle. You rely on your training because your team will carry you through the event.

While Honor Guard is quite a departure from my air transportation career field, I have been able to make parallels and sense similar virtues between both missions.  Make no mistake, sharply folding a flag is not the same as chaining down a vehicle inside a C-5 Galaxy. Yet I can recognize the amount of focus and experience that is required to become skilled and deemed accountable in ability.

Honor Guard, exclusively, has taught me the significance of why countless hours are spent in preparation for what, to the observers, seems to last mere moments in the spotlight of their sadness. Paying respect to those who have served before me is the least I can provide for them and their families.

You felt as though you were under stadium lights as you snapped, wrenched, pulled and folded the flag to its best possible shape. The silence is uncanny, yet the amount of concentration within that silence is beyond words. As we wait for our guest of honor to arrive, the silence is surreal because the silence acts as the calm before a storm.
The pressure of funeral honors is real. Any honor guardsman would agree to this. In truth, every honor guardsman is critical and judgmental of their performance, especially after the funeral honors are rendered. This is because you believe that fiercely in the mission of Honor Guard, that the people you are serving deserve your best effort.

You must maintain your stoicism during the handing off of the flag as well.  When you hand off the flag to the next of kin, you know you will never be able to take away their suffering. Yet it's the soft smile, it's the kind of smile that is often displayed with tearful eyes, that allows you to remain strong. Or, perhaps, it is your strength and your precision that is the families' only solace.

From my experiences, I have concluded enrichment often emerges in the final moments of anxiety, frustration and fear. However, once these afflictions are conquered, it is clarity, thankfulness and pride that take their place. In my heart, I know I would've never been able to overcome these woes alone. Thankfully, I was able to work with and befriend individuals who shared their courage with me and it was their courage and knowledge that propelled me toward sharpening my own ability. I hope they were pleased with the progress I made for I cannot think of another means of repayment.  

This enrichment, and the fellow honor guardsmen associated with it, took 90 days to create, yet I will carry it with me for an extensive time to come. This victory belongs not only to me, but to all the other honor guardsmen with whom I shared this experience because there is no such thing as a one-man detail.

There were moments where I felt like a sentinel for the deceased, standing silent and solemn. This mindset was tempered within me by both the gifted senior rotators and the exceptional abilities of the Honor Guard training staff. These individuals possess precision that is nothing short of amazing.  I owe more to them than words could convey.

However, what struck me strongest was sensing how much they exemplified Honor Guard's purpose and mission.  From the senior rotators, training staff and superintendents, I am in esteemed thanks of now echoing their same sentiment.
I have now returned to my duty section empowered, sharpened and encouraging others to join Travis Honor Guard. I encourage other Airmen to join because it is an experience one must definitely be a part of in order to fully embrace.

Further, Honor Guard provided me with an opportunity to see a different mission within the United States Air Force.  This new mission gave me a fresh perspective of what other services our military offers. It allows me to see beyond the aerial port I belong to and it increased my respect for the military branch I am fortunate to serve. 

I say all this knowing there was a cost to joining Honor Guard.  While I was given the chance to become an honor guardsman, it also revealed the cost of being taken outside of my career field. However, upon my return to my duty section, I was fortunate enough to have fellow Airmen and supervision team to bring me up to speed on all of my career-field obligations.  From beginning to end, and in many ways, becoming an honor guardsman was a struggle, yet I prefer to see the beauty and the small sense of triumph that came from that struggle.