Vet cemetery puts extra pressure on base honor guard

The Mountain Home AFB Honor Guard is facing a huge 400 percent increase in its taskings -- largely the result of the new veteran's cemetery in Eagle.

Idaho became the last state in the nation to have its own veterans cemetery, when the facility was dedicated two weeks ago. The base honor guard was one of the military units that took part in the ceremony.

They'll be back -- a lot.

SSgt. Bobbi Russell, the honor guard NCOIC, said the base unit said they've been told that the new cemetery expects about 600 funerals in its first year -- some involving veterans who die this year and some involving the repatriation of remains buried in other locations in Idaho and around the country. As of June 17, she said, there were 50 bodies waiting to be buried and another 500 graves already reserved.

Because Mountain Home AFB is the only active-duty military unit in Idaho with an honor guard, the demands on the prestigious unit's time will grow exponentially.

In the last year, the honor guard has been tasked to more than 150 different functions. A little over half of those were funerals. The other activities included such events as leading the Air Force Appreciation Day parade, posting the colors at the Chamber banquet and at special events in the schools or the Boise Hawks "Military Night", appearing at change of command ceremonies on base, and being part of the honors given to active-duty personnel at their retirement parties.

"It's nice to get out into the community," Russell said. "And the young troops, that live in the dorms, they love it. Sometimes they'll get a free pass to something (like a Hawks game) or a free meal."

But the only legal mandate for the unit, Russell noted, is to provide funerals for veterans and active duty personnel. "We can never turn down a funeral. The rest is just icing on the cake," she said.

But it's important icing. If a request for the honor guard's services is approved -- and they try to accomodate every request -- they're more than willing to "show the colors" of the Air Force anywhere in the region. In fact, their tasking region involves 28 counties in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada.

But it is at the funerals of veterans that Russell says the unit plays its most important role.

"I think it makes a huge difference" to the families, she said. "That may be their last contact with the military and we want it to be a good one.

"We're glad to do it, too. It's very gratifying to represent the Air Force and our country. It's a privilege for me." In fact, when she got the job to head the honor guard, she made sure all the funeral homes in the area were notified of the unit's availability.

The number of personnel sent to a funeral varies, depending on the status of the veteran.

For a basic veteran, someone who served in the armed forces, but did not make a career of the service, three members of the honor guard are sent -- two to fold the flag and one to play Taps. Although the unit actually has a couple of buglers (they're in short supply around the county) and always tries to provide a live version, the honor guard also has available four of the new "electronic" trumpets that play a recorded version of Taps.

For a retiree, ten members of the honor guard are sent, six to fold the flag, to serve as pall bearers if the family wants, a bugler, a seven-man firing party, and an NCO or, if available, an officer to present the flag to the family (some members double up duties during the service).

For an an active duty serviceman, a 20-man team is sent to provide the final honors.

The honor guard's area of responsibility is so large, that if necessary, the unit can call on the Idaho National Guard honor guard for help. And if a veteran is from another service, they make every effort to get an officer or NCO from that service to make the flag presentation from the family. Often, they use area recruiters, but sometimes a service will fly in a representative if none are available locally.

It's a matter of honor that they do the very best they can to render full and appropriate honors for the veteran.

The Mountain Home AFB Honor Guard has had, in the past, about 30 all-volunteer members (although about seven are currently deployed). Some officers serve, but most are enlisted personnel.

"We are the best of the best on base," Russell said with pride. "We want to promote that image, and look good in the uniform."

It isn't an easy job. It requires considerable coordination with a member's supervisors of their "regular" jobs on base, to free up the time to train for the honor guard and to appear at whatever function where they've been tasked.

Historically, although some bases use a quota system to fill the honor guard's needs, Mountain Home AFB has been able to provide the function through an all-volunteer unit.

"It's easy to fall short" of needs, sometimes, Russell said, "but the advantage is they want to be here, they're dedicated."

With the massive increase in anticipated tasking, that may change. Each squadron and group on base is now being asked to fill a "suggested" quota of volunteers that will increase the honor guard to about 80 members. "If we don't get enough volunteers, then they'll be volun-told," Russell admitted. But she expects that won't happen too often because of the prestige of belonging to the unit. It's also good for career advancement, she noted, to have service in an honor guard on your record.

And it won't be so difficult to coordinate honor guard schedules with member's supervisors, since about 20 members a week will be assigned to be "on call" for that week's duties. A special team from the Air Force Honor Guard (which provides honors at Arlington National Cemetery) will arrive next week to spend a week training the new members of the team. By Aug. 23 the greatly expanded base honor guard will be ready to meet the increased demands for its services.

Russell, who has served with honor guards at every base she's been at since she was stationed at Andrews AFB in 1995, said she expects the additional members of the team will enjoy the duty. "It grows on you," she laughed.

"I'll probably do it my whole career," she said. "It's very gratifying. And it's a sense of pride for me, to be able to represent the Air Force" and the nation's armed forces.

"We're here to serve."