The motto of the Goshen (Ind.) Police Department Honor Guard Camp, “The best we can do is the least we can do,” reminds firefighters and police officers that those they honor in parades, memorial services, funerals and other events have given all there is to give, and the least honor guard members can do is give their best in tribute.

Helping other departments with funerals is one reason that 13 officers volunteered to form the Goshen honor guard. The officers wanted to give back to the departments and officers who had showed support after the murder of Goshen Police Officer Thomas Goodwin in 1998. When the honor guard formed in 1999, members didn't readily find a lot of information about honor guard basics. They began training with Goshen Det. David Zollinger, who served in the Presidential Honor Guard while in the Marines, and continued training with the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association Honor Guard and the 3rd Infantry in Fort Myer, Va.

Thinking that others just starting an honor guard might find the same problems, Goshen officers established an honor guard camp in 2003. One session is held in the spring and another in the fall each year. Each session is limited to 50 students, with a student-to-instructor ratio of about six to one.

Proper etiquette

An honor guard requires practice and precision so an attempt to honor doesn't look sloppy and unorganized and result in dishonor. The honor guard camp focuses on the basics. Attending the camp at the Elkhart County fairgrounds in Goshen, firefighters and police officers make their best even better. Seven instructors and one guest instructor teach basic drill and ceremony, with an emphasis on color guard and flag etiquette. The camp's mission is to instill the knowledge and skills necessary to execute the duties and responsibilities associated with honor guard details.

“We start the students out from zero, and we give them the basic tools to handle a funeral or any of the other ceremonies that they would do,” says Lt. Randy Kantner, commander of the Goshen honor guard and camp. “Students aren't going to walk out of here knowing exactly what to do in every given situation because there's no way you can do that. As long as we give them the tools and we do exercises during the school to make them use their own brains, they can figure out how to apply what they've learned to whatever their real-life mission might be.”

Each day of camp builds on what was learned the previous day. In five days, there's a lot to learn. The schedule includes:

Day 1: Positions and movements at rest and marching.

Day 2: The role of commanders and squad leaders, review, manual of arms, casket watch and casket movement. Teaching casket movement is Matt Smith, commander for the Mishawaka Police Honor Guard who worked on casket detail as a member of “The Old Guard.”

Day 3: Flag and color guard etiquette, review and color guard exercises. Goshen instructors teach using federal flag law and military protocols.

“We learned that the American flag is always the first in and that the unit cannot perform facing movements while carrying the flag,” says Lesa Ann Nelson, a firefighter/EMT with the Brownsburg (Ind.) Fire Territory, noting they did things in the past that they did not know were improper. “We did not know this before and feel bad that we may have offended veterans.”

Day 4: Funeral protocols and honors funerals lecture, review, flag folding and firing party.

Day 5: Practicum and graduation ceremony.

Paid respect

About the middle of the week, Kantner tells students they're going to plan a full honors funeral and act it out in dress uniforms, taking an empty casket all the way to the graveside. “For this to work, you've got to get your mind in a place that this is real,” he tells them.

Nelson, a firefighter since 1997 and honor guard member since 2001, has been in a couple of real-life funerals. She saw the simulation as an opportunity to take on a new role on the flag-folding crew and observe other duties.

“Usually, in a funeral you are in one spot with one duty, but in the simulated funeral, I was able to do a different duty and was able to watch others as they performed their roles,” she says. “I feel that it is beneficial to go through it, especially for those who never have, just to know what to expect. There are so many important details to remember, and it is good to be able to put it all together.”

When it comes to the basics like marching, color guard movement and flag etiquette, honor guard is the same for police and fire departments, says Stuart Smith, an arson investigator and former volunteer firefighter. However, there are some differences that fire honor guards must practice that police do not.

Firefighters have a different manual of arms. Typically, they carry polished axes or pike poles instead of rifles. Instead of a hearse, a firefighter's casket may ride on a fire engine. This detail requires about 14 people instead of the traditional eight needed to move a casket in and out of a hearse, says Smith. Students practice placing a casket on top of a the engine using steps and ramps. Instead of a gun salute, tribute often is paid with the ringing of a bell during a final alarm or bell ceremony, signifying a firefighter has gone home for the final time. At the end of a graveside service, when police officers might lay carnations on the casket, firefighters might pass by the casket to each ring a bell once as they leave.

The line-of-duty-death funeral is the most stressful part of an honor guard member's job, says Parrott, in the fire service since 1990 and in an honor guard since he helped found his department's honor guard in 2000. “You have to be dedicated to the deepest part because if you're guarding a casket and you have a loved one come up and they're just falling apart, it's hard to keep your mind from doing the same thing, and you may know this individual.”

Brothers in arms

The level of experience among camp attendees has ranged from members of departments just forming an honor guard to a veteran honor guard member with 25 years of experience. Regardless of experience or skill level, Kantner says all students are treated equally.

To that end, one of the camp's underlying themes is that honor guard is a team activity. To promote teamwork, students wear camp-issued T-shirts or sweatshirts and hats, black pants, and polished black boots. Firefighters so far have been the minority in the camp, with police officers outnumbering firefighters 42 to eight in the spring session. But this isn't readily observed. Unless the name of a department is on a student's nametag, it's impossible to identify which students are firefighters when they line up in formation.

Since Sept. 11, there's been more camaraderie between police and fire personnel. Instructors encourage police and fire service honor guards to work together. “We try to emphasize that in the post-9/11 world, people like to see mixed color guards with police and fire together,” says Kantner, who was in charge of training the guards and coordinating the 24-hour vigil at the dedication of the police and firefighters memorial at the Statehouse in Indiana. “You don't always think of police and fire together, but we do a lot of work together. Why not do the honors and ceremonies together?”

The Goshen Police Department's color guard gets together with the fire department's color guard in a Memorial Day parade and service, at the county fair, and in naturalization ceremonies twice a year.

Firefighters and police officers also worked together to honor two murdered Mishawaka, Ind., police officers. A Mishawaka police officer and firefighter stood guard for the first casket watches, then other police officers and firefighters filled in. David Ray, commander of the Mishawaka (Ind.) Fire Department Honor Guard, was inspired to attend the camp after working with the Goshen honor guard.

Renewed pride

Another underlying camp theme is reinforcing the pride and tradition of honor guard and its members.

At the beginning of the week “the instructors would say ‘left face’ and guys would turn right. They'd say ‘about face’ and they wouldn't do anything,” Ray says. “By the end of the week, it was just like … we'd been doing it for years. It was amazing, really.”

It takes a dedicated person to be in honor guard. “To be in honor guard means that you are the finest representation of your department and that you are willing to do something that others may not be able to do,” Nelson says. “An honor guard member must have greater attention to detail than any other member of the department and must stand tall, be proud and composed in any conditions, whether rain, snow, sweltering heat or in front of grieving family members and brothers. It is our job to honor those who go before us.”

Honor guard, like anything else, is a continuing learning experience, says camp alumna Melissa Siloac, a firefighter/paramedic with the City of Southfield (Mich.) Fire Department. “I think the camp is an experience that you never forget. It really makes you feel a part of a special group.”

Ray agrees. “We could be mediocre forever or we could continue doing honor guard like we think we should do it, but to give these men and women the honor they deserve is to just go all the way,” he says. “If you don't take the extra time to train and you don't get the correct training, I guess in an honor guard member's opinion, you're not giving someone the honor that they deserve. I mean that's what honor guard is all about — honor.”

The extra mile

Just as it takes a dedicated person to be an honor guard member, it takes a dedicated person to be an honor guard instructor.

“When you go to the camp, you think you're going to go there, hang out and march,” Parrott says. “Let me tell you, the instructors set the bar very high. I was impressed and just astonished how much professionalism, dedication and hard work they put into it.”

Ray, who has received a lot of training in 18 years of fire service, including four years in the Air Force, says this is one of the best schools he's attended. The school reminds him of basic training because it's so structured.

During the camp, instructors put in extra hours to ensure that students have the information they need and want. An “open floor” held one evening of the camp allows students to practice anything they'd like with instructors available to assist.

“You can tell that every one of those honor guard members truly takes their camp and belief in what they are doing to heart,” says Siloac, who helped form her department's honor guard after 9/11. “They just have a passion for honor guard and color guard and they're so willing to help.”

Before leaving camp, students are given email addresses and home and work telephone numbers of instructors so students can contact them with questions or for assistance. Kantner regularly receives calls from former students and has traveled to assist some of them with funerals or details.

“I can't say enough about the instructors,” says Siloac, who's been with the Southfield Fire Department for almost 10 years. “Some questions have come up as far as protocol, and they return our phone call in a matter of minutes. They know how crucial time is, especially if there's a funeral being planned. I would recommend anyone who is looking to form an honor guard, who has an honor guard with no formal training or who wants more information on fire or police department honor guard should at least seek out information through the Goshen PD Honor Guard because they're so willing to give it out.”

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Rebecca Kanable is a freelance writer living in Wisconsin. She has been writing about public safety for more than six years. She can be reached at kanable@charter.net.

Starting an Honor Guard

Honor guard members need to be dedicated and motivated. “We don't get paid for any of our time,” reminds Joe Malczyk, who helped the Lisle-Woodridge (Ill.) Fire District kick its honor guard into full gear in 1993. Instead benefits come in the form of camaraderie and the ability to honor a fallen brother or sister.

Among the first steps of organizing an honor guard are getting together with the administration and interested members and looking at uniforms and equipment. There are many companies from which to choose.

“It's financing and time,” says Malczyk, a fire medic-first class and former commander of his department's honor guard. “That's what a lot of it boils down to.”

The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District Honor Guard first trained with the help of department members who had been in the military. “There are just a few minor discrepancies between military branches, so we mixed them together and came up with our own,” says Malczyk, who served in the Marine Corps.

Many honor guards are self-taught. They glean information from books or the Internet. They might be lucky and have input from members who have military service or a neighboring fire or police department. Attending an honor guard camp like the Goshen Police Department Honor Guard camp is probably a good idea, he adds.

Today, all nine members of the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District Honor Guard are also members of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois Honor Guard, and training takes place at the annual AFFI convention.

“When it comes to training in general, the more you practice, the more comfortable you're going to be in front of a crowd,” he says. “Once you master the basic movements, you can become flexible.”

Malczyk uses the analogy of a snowflake; each event is different. He says he's been doing an awards ceremony every year for six years or longer and he doesn't recall two going the same. Podiums get moved or the number of color guard participants changes, for example.

Cross training is important, he says. For example, it can be complicated to learn honor guard commands. More than one person should know how to give commands in case the commander is absent.

Honor guards also should be aware there is a federal law for flag etiquette.

Once a department's honor guard is up and running, Malczyk says guards will find it's an honor to honor fellow firefighters.

FYI

Next year's Goshen Honor Guard Camp dates are April 11-15 and Oct. 3-7. For more information, e-mail Adjutant Joe Brown at joebrown@goshencity.com or visit the Web site at www.honorguardtraining.com