A family comforting families: Robins-centered Honor Guard performs over 2,000 details

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE — Anyone who has attended a military funeral has seen a crucial piece of the Air Force’s mission in action, and Robins Air Force Base is a central hub for operations in parts of the Southeast.

Robins is the hub for the Honor Guard, a group under the 78th Force Support Squadron composed of 22 active duty and 16 guard and reserve members. Alongside two satellite units in Atlanta and Nashville, the Guard covers 70,000 square miles in three states.

“We cover all the way to the northern border of Tennessee, and down to one county line above Tifton. And then east, we cover one county line just short of the coast. And to the west we cover all the way to the Georgia-Alabama border,” MSgt. Kelley Sanders, the Honor Guard’s program manager, said.

The Guard conducts around 2,000 annual funeral details for veterans, retirees and active duty members, and retirement ceremonies, parades and sporting events.

Excluding Sanders and SSgt. Gerremy Fearson, the Guard’s flight sergeant, Honor Guard active-duty members stationed at Robins are called “augmentees,” hand-chosen for six-month shifts by leadership. Due to overlapping shifts, the Guard has a young, new team every three months.

“It’s this constant flow of of energy and always training, always preparing. … The average age is probably between 20 and 21 years old, and they’re asked to go do 2,000 funerals this year, which is a hard ask to give a 20-year-old,” Sanders said. “But they do it, and they do it with pride and integrity, and they really give a good illustration of service for all the service members that we help lay to rest.”

Maintaining diversity is also a priority for the Honor Guard, Sanders said.

“We have an extremely diverse team: multiple countries, multiple states, multiple cultures, multiple regions, and we all come together. It’s really a testament to one team, one fight, the mission being the priority, and how well we can work together,” Sanders said.

Joining the Honor Guard is a coveted role among Airmen, so competition is high. Those who are selected are truly honored to be there, according to Sanders.

“The situation that we have is a limited amount of spots, but you have a lot of competition, especially from previous Honor Guard augmentees, trying to get those spots. It’s something that we’re going through right now where people take a lot of pride in coming over here and doing a good job, and they want to continue to do it,” Sanders said.

Described by Sanders as the illustration of service for service members’ next of kin, non-verbal displays of gratitude are recognizable and memorable for him.

“It’s typically a sense of pride, or remembering how their lost loved one represented them when they were in service. Our presence typically produces a positive reaction to the next of kin,” Sanders said.

Fearson agreed, saying his first detail passing the folded flag to next of kin was most memorable.

“Before the detail starts it’s a lot of nervousness, just knowing that if you make any type of mistake you could possibly let the person who passed away down. But as you’re handing out the flag, knowing that everything has gone the way it should have gone, it is just such an immense amount of pride that you have given them the respects that they deserved,” Fearson said.

Senior Airman Elissa Santana, a delta flight trainer in the Guard, also remembered her first detail in this role.

“I was definitely challenged. I was put in positions that may not have been the most comfortable or ideal for me, but I made it through, and I was happy with with my performance, and I definitely gained the confidence that I felt like I needed moving forward,” Santana said.

Sanders, Fearson and Santana describe the Honor Guard as a family, highlighting a culture of positivity, support and fellowship as they travel together for details.

“We try as much as we can to really promote a family atmosphere, looking out for one another, a wingman environment where everyone’s taking care of everybody,” Sanders said.

“We all have the desire to learn and to improve, and I think that alongside with that, we all have different strengths and weaknesses in which we are able to train each other and give each other that feedback, so that we are successful moving forward with details,” Santana said.

“At the end of the day, we view it as it comes down to us relying on the person next to us, no matter how different they are from us, to actually help us out and get us through the detail the best way that we possibly can,” Fearson said.

A congressionally-mandated mission, the Honor Guard is a responsibility Robins gladly accepts, a family focused on comforting families.

“So many people value their service,” Sanders said. “To be the illustration of that service is, I think, one of the greatest missions you could have in the Air Force.”