News>Afghan air force adds first honor guard to its ranks
Photos
Members of the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Honor Guard demonstrate how to post colors Oct. 3, 2010, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 451st AEW Honor Guard members worked with the Afghans to help them prepare their own Honor Guard for a ceremony marking the one year anniversary of the Kandahar Air Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm)
Airmen from the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Honor Guard and Afghan airmen practice marching Oct. 3, 2010, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 451st AEW Honor Guard members worked with the Afghans to help them prepare their own honor guard for a ceremony marking the one year anniversary of the Kandahar Air Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm)
Members of the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Honor Guard train Afghan Airmen how to march for ceremonies Oct. 3, 2010, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 451st AEW Honor Guard worked with the Afghans to help them prepare their own Honor Guard for a ceremony marking the one year anniversary of the Kandahar Air Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm)
An Afghan airman for the Kandahar Air Wing adjusts the flag during posting of the colors Oct. 3, 2010, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Honor Guard members worked with the Afghans to help them prepare their own Honor Guard for a ceremony marking the one year anniversary of the Kandahar Air Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm)
by Senior Airman Melissa B. White
451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
10/7/2010 - KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Afghan airmen from the Kandahar Air Wing posted colors for the first time with their own honor guard at the one year anniversary of the unit's activation Oct. 5 here.
For the past year, Airmen of the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Honor Guard have posted the colors for KAW ceremonies. The team recently began working with members of the Afghan air force to introduce the traditions and, after seeing how the U.S. Air Force does it, the Afghans decided they were ready to adopt their own style.
"I am proud of them," said Staff Sgt. Randall Abella, the NCO in charge of the honor guard, who is assigned to the 73rd Expeditionary Air Control Squadron. "I hope, that with our basics, they will be able to write some standard operating procedures that will stand out in their history for presenting honor and dignity. Then, one day, they can look back on their first honor guard and remember the names of their first members and why they started it. Kind of like how we look at our historical accomplishments and honor our traditions."
The 451st AEW Honor Guard members met with the Afghans in the KAW twice, for a couple of hours each time where they covered all of the basic honor guard movements.
"I was excited when I found out we'd be helping them," said Sergeant Abella, who is deployed from the 606th Air Control Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, a three year honor guard veteran. "I had a lot of questions like, 'How much training they had?' and 'What style (do) they use?'"
Sergeant Abella said he first heard of the plans for an Afghan honor guard a couple of weeks ago, but it ended up happening a lot sooner than he had planned.
"The amount of time we had to prepare them was a big factor because our U.S. members practice for three weeks before they step up to do details, and these guys didn't have that much time," Sergeant Abella said. "Our basic movements and marching techniques are quite different from theirs, so being told to do something opposite of what you're used to doing for a while can be tough. My favorite part though, was having them laugh with us and seeing them eager to learn."
Plans to have an honor guard came about when Col. Bernard Mater, the 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group commander, and Afghan air force Maj. Gen. Abdul Raziq Sherzai, the KAW commander, were discussing having a celebration for the first anniversary of the KAW. General Sherzai said he wanted his airmen to take the lead this time, to include posting the colors. The afghan air force had no honor guard to speak of prior to the event.
"In the end, the event ended up being a huge success as the Afghans put it on completely by themselves with the exception of borrowing a little communication equipment from us," said Chief Master Sgt. David Staton, the 738th AEAG superintendent. "That in itself shows the progress they've made."
Members of the 738th AEAG have partnered with the KAW for the past year. The Americans from three different services and 45 different career fields have mentored the Afghans and taught them skills for their jobs, so they can eventually take complete ownership of their wing and support the mission.
"Our basic mission is to set the conditions for a self-sustainable Afghan air wing," Chief Staton said. "This is simply one more step toward that goal. The afghan Airmen are professional, motivated and ready to add an honor guard to their ranks."
