Program manager of RAFB Honor Guard discusses group’s role in recognizing past, present veterans

The Robins Air Force Base Honor Guard is a program that conducts military funeral honors across Georgia, Tennessee and two counties in North Carolina — encompassing over 70,000 square miles.

The group is made up of personnel from the 78th Air Base Wing, the 461st Air Control Wing, the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, the 5th Combat Communications Group, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and other mission partners who operate out of Robins Air Force Base. The team is also augmented by the Air Reserve component at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia, as well as Air National Guard members from Berry Field Air National Guard Base in Nashville, Tennessee.

MSgt. Siera Wilson, the program manager for the Robins Air Force Base Honor Guard, shared their specific mission.

“The Robins Air Force Base Honor Guard’s primary mission is to represent the nation, the Air Force and the Robins Air Force Base community, honoring the service and sacrifice of our fallen airmen when rendering military funeral honors to active-duty, retired and veteran members of the armed forces who’ve served this nation honorably,” Wilson said. “The military funeral honors mission takes precedence over all other ceremonies, functions and events throughout our mission set.”

Depending upon the group’s mission availability and manpower, they may support various color guard events, military and civil events as a secondary mission. These can include retirements, promotions, sporting events, parades and executive-level dignitary events for example.

Wilson explained that the Robins program has been around since 2008, and the group has grown in its “AOR” (Area of Responsibility) since that time.

“When it first started, it was very small, meaning our AOR wasn’t the three states that we have now,” she said. “But since the Robins community has grown, so has the manpower at this installation has grown. The Air Force deemed it that we were able to support a much larger area of responsibility.”

On average, the group conducts around 2,000 funerals annually and sometimes more. The group sees 68 personnel assigned to the group on an annual basis.

“The way we set it up is, there’s four flights that get assigned to the team for six-month time periods — and within those four flights you have 17 personnel assigned to each flight,” Wilson added.

These personnel feature various specialties like folding the ceremony flag, playing “Taps” on a bugle, color guard presentation and ordering of the flag, pallbearing and the 21-gun salute. Each section of the sequence has over 29 steps of action the airmen must master to conduct the funeral honors.

Each ceremony is different because every member that is honored comes from a different career in the military, and the Honor Guard must consult with the member’s family to honor their wishes as well.

Each Honor Guard member goes through a 14-day period that the group calls “rapid training” to learn the basic sequences involved.

“That’s [learning] to stand at parade rest, standing at attention, can you stand for a long period of time,” Wilson said. “There’s a physical fitness aspect that goes into those 14 days to make sure that these individuals can hold the casket for long periods of time.”

The caskets can weigh 250 lbs. and up, with the group meeting extreme weather conditions at some of these ceremonies. The group also requires mental toughness, she explained.

A new skill set is developed in the days following the “rapid training.”

“[In] the next 14 days we’ll dive into the firing party, getting each member strong with that,” she said. “Can they charge the weapon, are they afraid of firing the weapon; again, standing [there] can you hold that weapon in a certain position for one, two, three minutes at a time.”

She said the training never stops for each six-month flight, and the members are always learning something new.

The main requests for color guard presentations usually involve retirements and parades. On occasion, the group will be requested at sporting events for teams like the Atlanta Falcons or Braves, Mercer Bears, Macon Mayhem or Bacon as well as other events within their AOR.

“A lot of times people are just assuming we’re conducting these details in Warner Robins, but you name it — 80% of Georgia is part of our AOR; 80% of Tennessee is part of our AOR,” she said, laughing. “So we spend a great deal [of time] in Knoxville and Atlanta.”

Wilson said the group often receives letters, pictures and “thank you” cards of appreciation from family members of the honored fallen and the surrounding community that witness the ceremonies.

“They [the witnesses] just start deep-diving into that feeling they got seeing us fold that flag or laying that memory to rest — or presenting that flag to the next of kin,” she said.

She said she jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the Honor Guard.

“Being able to conduct military funeral honors — to look the next of kin in their eyes and give them a sense of closure — has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” Wilson said. “It is an honor to do it, and it takes a special person to keep your military bearings and do this day in and day out. I wouldn’t want to do this job without the airmen that are serving now and the staff that are helping me support this program.”

Wilson highlighted some specific members of her team, including: a “top trainer” TSgt. Kirk Clark, Flight 22 Charlie and Flight 22 Bravo.

She said 5 previous members of the Robins group have gone on to be a part of the Air Force Honor Guard in Washington, D.C.

To request the presence of the Robins Air Force Base Honor Guard at an event, visit the group’s website: robinsfss.com/honor-guard/. A “Requesting Services” tab will feature the required forms, information and other documentation needed for each event.

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