Air Force Honor Guard visits Luke

  • Published
  • By Stephen Delgado
  • Thunderbolt writer
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The Luke Air Force Base Honor Guard had some special visitors in May.

For 10 days, a mobile training team of instructors from the Air Force Honor Guard from Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., came to Luke to share knowledge and skills with members of the Luke AFB Honor Guard, said Master Sgt. Timothy Bass, 56th Fighter Wing Honor Guard superintendent.

The training team visits 16 bases per year for a 10-day period to help with training, and each trainer specializes in one facet of providing military funeral honors, according to team chief Airman 1st Class Jarrett Adair.

The team consisted of Airman Adair, pallbearer and flag folding; Senior Airman Jordan Anderson, colors; and Airman 1st Class Amber Nielson, drill and execution.

"The trainees have a day-and-a-half to learn to do a portion of the full-honors funeral before moving to the next step," he said. "Then it takes constant dedication and practice to perfect their skills."

Airman Adair said he caught the spirit to be part of the honor guard in basic training.
"While in basic training, I realized that the honor guard is what I wanted to do. I was selected right out of basic training, and I have enjoyed the experience immensely," he said.

Sergeant Bass has been involved with the honor guard for nearly two decades, starting at Nellis AFB, Nev. He's been at Luke for one year.

"My Air Force career began in logistics and as I watched the honor guard at various ceremonies, I became interested in being part of something special," he said. "Our guardsman standards of conduct and level of professionalism are above reproach."

Forty-two Airmen from every squadron on base make up Luke's honor guard. Members are with the team for one month, and then go back to their duties at their squadron for one month. In total, each member serves a one-year commitment, Sergeant Bass said.

The old saying that "practice makes perfect" is one of the foundations of the honor guard.

"We practice six to seven hours a day, and at Luke all of our members learn every facet of honor guard duties," Sergeant Bass said. "When someone is chosen to be part of the Air Force Honor Guard, he or she goes to Bolling AFB for eight weeks of training. Constant training and discipline lead to perfection."

Anyone driving or walking by the Airman Leadership School building will see the Luke Honor Guard practicing.

"All of this practice pays off because we perform more than 800 details annually -- funeral and color guard, and we cover a 52,000 square mile radius," Sergeant Bass said.

The area they cover is bigger than the state of Ohio.

The honor guard is a proud part of Air Force and Luke tradition, and that pride is something that every member shares, Sergeant Bass said.