Continuing the legacy

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Zachary Perras
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  It is an extra duty that embodies the Air Force core value of "service before self." But more importantly, it is a family bonded by tradition. Since April 1981, the Eielson Base Honor Guard has been committed to "excellence in all we do," serving the base, servicemembers, veterans and the local community.

Honor guard members are representatives of the Air Force, serving as a small team to put a face to the whole by performing at various ceremonies, funerals and presenting colors for events. 28 Eielson Airmen were brought on to that team with a graduation ceremony Feb. 17, capping a week-long training program.

Honor guard is a unique mission, but one that allows Airmen to give back to those who have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

"There's so much the Air Force has given me that I'd never be able to give back ... and I think this is the way I can do it; this is my way of giving back," said Staff Sgt. Joel Peace, NCO in charge of the Eielson Base Honor Guard.

Peace, a dental technician with the 354th Medical Group Dental Flight, has been involved with the honor guard here for more than two years. He joined because he saw the capacity to do something bigger than himself.

"I loved what I saw [the honor guard] do," he said. "I always thought that those guys really get out there and display the Air Force in such a positive way."

Being an honor guardsman may seem like a daunting task - weekly practices on top of the possibility of performing different ceremonies throughout the month. Despite this, it affords one with an additional feeling of pride, one that should not be taken for granted.

"Know for sure that you want to do it, not because your unit asked you to," said Peace. "I love wearing the uniform and I love providing that service."

The honor guard team also develops a deep sense of camaraderie with the training its members go through, said Staff Sgt. Aaron Stamm, lead trainer of the Eielson Base Honor Guard and avionics assistant flight chief with the 354th Maintenance Squadron.

"This is definitely an extension of your work family, and it's almost like it's even more close-knit because we're putting all this effort into the same idea," said Stamm. "You're all working for that same goal."

Peace and Stamm recently helped prepare the new members during the training program, where members learned what it means to represent Eielson and the Air Force.

"When we go out there and do our job, people see 'Eielson Air Force Base' - they know we're from Eielson and they know we're Air Force," said Peace. "When we put in the effort we do and we do well, it feels really good to see the reaction from the community and from the base."

During training, members were taught all aspects of being an honor guardsman and an ambassador for the Air Force - from wearing the uniform to properly folding the American flag - finalizing the graduation ceremony with a mock funeral with full military honors. This attention to detail and commitment to excellence is what it means to be honor guard.

For Peace, being honor guard is also gaining the knowledge that he did something great to leave a memory of the Air Force in a person's mind.

"When I see the gratitude in the families faces [because of] of what we do for them, that's more satisfaction than I could ever ask for," said Peace.

For more information on the Eielson Base Honor Guard, call Peace at 377-6767 or 388-3158, or e-mail him at joel.peace@us.af.mil.