379th AEW Honor Guard posts the colors

Members of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Honor Guard stand in formation as they prepare for practice in Southwest Asia, Jan. 2, 2014. During practice the Honor Guard works to perfect sharp, crisp and motionless bearing. The Honor Guard is made up of volunteer service members and practices two times a week to hone their skills. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Hannah Landeros)

Members of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Honor Guard compete in a drill-off in Southwest Asia, Jan. 2, 2014. The Honor Guard holds drill-offs which consisted of rifle movements and commands to select who will participate in the next detail. The Honor Guard is made up of volunteer service members and practices two times a week to hone their skills. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Hannah Landeros)

379th AEW Honor Guard posts the colors

Published Jan. 3, 2014
By Senior Airman Hannah Landeros
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- From posting the colors during a change of command, to special events on national holidays, the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Honor Guard takes pride in representing the men and women of the armed forces.

The 379th AEW Honor Guard is made up of volunteers who are dedicated to professionalism and who show the upmost respect for the colors.

"The Honor Guard team here is one of the sharpest I have ever seen," said Staff Sgt. Briton Hurdle deployed from Minot Air Force Base, N.D. "We practice eight times a month and put the best of the best on every detail we do."

Hurdle oversees all Honor Guard operations for events happening on base. His only request is that all members are dedicated 100% of the time.

"Honor Guard is strictly voluntary, the mission always comes first," said Hurdle a La Puente, Calif., native. "We promote Airmen to be sharp in Honor Guard as well as in their job with their work performance. You get out of Honor Guard, what you put into it. If you are 100% dedicated it is going to show and give you a stronger sense of pride."

The latest posting of the colors the Honor Guard team performed was when former members of Tops In Blue performed for the service members here in December. Hurdle was proud of the professionalism the ceremonial guardsmen displayed, he said.

"I ran to my room and posted online how proud of my team I was," Hurdle said. "Commitment and pride for our country turned into a display of excellence. It was wonderful and I'm proud of the hard work the team has put in."

Senior Airman Casey McLaughlin, the 379th AEW assistant to the NCO in charge of Honor Guard, deployed from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., said, "One of the things we push is being sharp, crisp and motionless. We hope by enforcing these standards into Honor Guard, the team members carry out these principles when they are doing the job and performing the mission. We take pride in everything we do."

Airmen come into Honor Guard unsure about what they want in their futures and they leave here with a sense of direction as strong and sharp individuals explained McLaughlin a Sanford, Fla., native.

"It's such an honor to lead a great group of individuals," said Hurdle. "We couldn't do it without the support of the supervisors and I thank them for that. As the NCO in charge, I do my best to have my team take on the details and they take on all the accolades."

The 379th AEW Honor Guard welcomes enlisted and officers from all branches of service to join the team.

"We would be glad to have you join our team," Hurdle said.