Fort Indiantown Gap hosts Honor Guard training

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Zane Craig | Soldiers participating in the Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors Level 2 course at Fort Indiantown Gap practice the firing party April 25. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Zane Craig)  

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, UNITED STATES

05.09.2019

Story by Sgt. Zane Craig 

Joint Force Headquarters - Pennsylvania National Guard

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – The installation hosted 12 reserve component students from 12 different states for the Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors Level 2 course April 15-25.

The course is held seven times per year across the nation to train current honor guard Soldiers to be instructors in their home states.

“Even though they’ve been in the program before, some for up to four years, and they know how to do it, they still don’t know how to systematically train others the proper way,” said Staff Sgt. John Westfall, noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the state military funeral honors program for Pennsylvania and a Philadelphia native.

Each Soldier must score 100% and articulate both Drill and Ceremony and Standing Manual of Arms with the M-14 rifle positions and movements, and score at least a 91% on the following sequences: 2 Soldier Casket, 3 Soldier Urn, Nine Soldier Casket as both Casket Team Leader and Firing Party Commander, and the Army Full Honors consisting of a Six-Soldier Fold and Firing Party.

Every minute detail of the tasks honor guard students are trained on must be performed perfectly. Even the uniform and general appearance of honor guard Soldiers must be flawless.

“It takes about eight hours to [put together] a full uniform - down to the ribbons, the belt, the shoes; it’s a very tedious, detail-oriented process,” said Westfall.

The Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors Program started in 2006 with only a handful of States and Territories. Now, it consists of 52 programs out of the 54 States and Territories with the exclusion of Delaware and Washington D.C. Each Program is represented by a contracted State Coordinator who serves as the subject matter expert for his or her state's funeral honors program.

Westfall said everything the Honor Guard does is full of symbolism, but the flag folding represents every memory loved ones have of their veteran. According to Westfall, when the flag is presented to the next of kin, it’s a proud moment to be a part of the family’s experience in the final closure of that veteran’s military career.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Lt. Col. Keith Hickox [phone], or e-mail [e-mail]

• Date Taken: 05.09.2019
• Date Posted: 05.09.2019 11:58
• Story ID: 321578
• Location: FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, US