Photo By Andria Allmond | Air National Guard Honor Guard members practice posting the colors for the Order of...... read more read more
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Twenty-five Air National Guard honor guard members were selected from units across the ANG to serve as ceremonial guardsmen during the ANG’s Order of the Sword induction ceremony held here April 16.
The ceremony, a presentation of the enlisted corps’ highest honor, was in honor of Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke, III, director of the ANG.
Chief Master Sgt. Ron Glazer, of the 167th Airlift Wing command chief in Martinsburg, West Virginia, served as the ceremony’s honor guard commander.
“When we are talking about our ceremonial guardsmen – the honor guard here today – we don’t want to forget that these Airmen represent all of our past and present enlisted members,” said Glazer. “They represent the enlisted members at their units, the enlisted members across the Air National Guard and the enlisted of the United States Air Force – they represent the finest.”
By regulation, every action of the ceremony must be “…conducted in a way that ensures the dignity, respect and honor in which the enlisted force has placed upon this distinguished recognition.” Therefore, it seems fitting that this observance involves an honor guard and an honor guard commander.
These positions are not only a requirement, however, they are also a privilege.
“This is a great honor,” said Staff Sgt. Wendy Smith, of the 187th Fighter Wing here. “Anything with the honor guard is about putting other people first. It’s a sacrifice, but it’s a great thing to do and being here to demonstrate our respect is exemplifying service before self.”
While the Order of the Sword is a longstanding Air Force tradition, one of the Honor Guardsmen was also carrying on a family tradition through his participation.
Senior Airman Brian Boop, of the 101st Air Operations Group at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, followed in his father’s footsteps by serving as a ceremonial guardsman during the event. His father, a now-retired chief master sergeant, was a founding member of his unit’s honor guard.
“I’ve been in the honor guard for three months now,” said Boop. “The fact that faith was put in me to do something like this really shows that all ranks are respected as long as you can do the job.”
Boop said that while his father never played a part in an Order of the Sword ceremony, he believes that his father is proud to have a son that is following in his footsteps and was also chosen to be an integral player.
Regardless of their rank, all the ceremonial guard Airmen expressed gratitude for the opportunity presented to them.
“The ceremonial guardsmen here are so fortunate to be a part of honoring [Clarke] for his support of the enlisted force of the Air National Guard,” Glazer said. “You can talk to any one of these Airmen here today and they will tell you that this is an extreme honor to be a part of it.”
| Date Taken: | 04.17.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2016 09:33 |
| Story ID: | 196080 |
| Location: | MONTGOMERY, AL, US |
| Web Views: | 253 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, ANG Honor Guard represent all enlisted in Order of the Sword, by Andria Allmond, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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