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127th Wing Honor Guard preps for duty

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Dan Heaton
  • 127th Wing Public Affairs
SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mich. --  The 127th Wing Honor Guard 's primary mission is to render final honors at the funerals and memorial services for deceased Air Force veterans in the Detroit region. The local Honor Guard attends the funeral and in a solemn moment, folds the American flag, representing the completion of the veteran's final duty. The Honor Guard also plays the bugle call "Taps." Finally, the flag is presented to a surviving family member, typically a spouse or child, of the deceased.

The 127th Wing Honor Guard, which is based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, typically renders honors at more than 300 funerals in a year. The unit is made up of volunteer Airmen from the Michigan Air National Guard's 127th Wing, representing a cross-section of units and career fields across the base. The local Honor Guard is managed by the Air Force Honor Guard at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, which ensures that every Air Force veteran in the Midwest whose family requests a military presence at his/her funeral is so honored.

Similar Honor Guards exist in the Detroit region representing the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard, typically supported by Reserve and National Guard military members who perform the Honors in their hometown regions.

In addition to supporting military funerals, the 127th Wing Honor Guard participates in several dozen military ceremonies, such as changes of command or retirements, every year. The Honor Guard also periodically supports community events, such as Memorial Day activities and major sporting events, when the unit is not otherwise engaged with its primary mission of supporting funeral honors.

The attached slide show highlights a recent Honor Guard training course at Selfridge, where new Honor Guard volunteers learned the ceremonial duties required at a funeral or memorial service.

About the 127th Wing
Comprised of approximately 1,700 personnel and flying both the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the KC-135 Stratotanker, the Michigan Air National Guard's 127th Wing supports Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command operations by providing highly-skilled Airmen to missions domestically and overseas. The 127th Wing is the host unit at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which marks its 98th year of continuous military air operations in 2015.

About Selfridge Air National Guard Base
One of the oldest military air fields in continuous service, the military first took possession of Selfridge Air National Guard Base on July 1, 1917. The first military flight at the base took place on July 8 and formal flight operations began on July 16, 1917. Today the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard is the host unit at the base, which also houses units of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection.