Senior Airman Gage Gardner’s first day of Honor Guard training began with a bang!
The Airman, unaccustomed to a Crestview morning commute due to 96th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron shift work, misjudged a stop on his way to training and his 20-year-old Suburban bumped a car in front of him at the worst possible time for an accident.
“I remember thinking there’s no way this is about to happen, as it was happening,” said the 23-year-old, who knew every second of that specific morning was critical. “(At orientation) the instructors stressed up front not to be late, and here I was, the class leader, about to be late on day one.”
The unique circumstances of Gardner’s tardiness granted him a little bit of forgiveness by his instructors and team. With all accounted for, Eglin’s 200-hour Honor Guard training course officially began April Fool’s Day 2025.
The course’s lead instructor, Senior Airman Samuel Smith, said he watched how Class 25B’s individual Airmen grew into a team, particularly after Day 13. Smith said although the class struggled to form, they pulled off a nearly flawless full-honors funeral performance at their graduation in front of base leadership, friends and family April 25.
“It was one of the best honor guard graduations I’ve seen, even better than my own,” said Smith. “They came along way and showed their best at the exact right moment.”
After the funeral performance, Class 25B received their round ceremonial guardsman badge, known as a Cookie. Then the Airmen stood side-by-side in front of the crowd and recited the 150-word Honor Guard charge, something they practiced repeatedly in the lead up to graduation.
“That charge was with one voice,” said Smith. “It was a really proud moment for me as their trainer.”
At the event’s end, the graduates stood at attention until someone tapped them on the shoulder for congratulations. Although his primary focus was the graduation performance, Gardner said he wondered deep-down if he would have anyone in attendance that would tap him out.
Gardner waited for what he said felt like forever as teammates were tapped out with hugs and handshakes. Finally, he saw a familiar smile from his close friend from the 96th AMXS, Staff Sgt. Vincent Franklin, to congratulate him.
Gardner, who was almost robotic with his unwavering military bearing, said he came as close as he ever had to breaking up in that moment before he was finally tapped out.
“It was a kind of crescendo moment of emotion that really got to me after all the hard work,” Gardner said.
A few days after the emotional graduation, Smith led his last Honor Guard detail, a funeral in Pensacola, with two of his trainees participating in the firing party.
Smith’s trainee, Tarvars Davis, 96th Operations Support Squadron, in the role known as Carry, presented three spent rifle volley rounds to the family.
Smith said the Carry role was one of the most difficult positions within a standard funeral team. Davis had that role in his first detail three days after training completion.
“When the pall-bearing NCO presents the flag, they have Congressionally mandated scripted words that must be said, but offering the rounds, the Carry must say something from the heart to that family member who’s looking directly at them,” said Smith.
Davis said he could feel the family member’s emotions as he approached. He said those few steps were a realization moment of why Class 25B trained so hard. He related that the mental toughness needed to be a ceremonial guardsman was critical in that moment.
Afterward, the 22-year-old Airman said he was elated from the experience as he left the cemetery.
“There’s nothing else in the military that can create that type of feeling of just pure pride,” said Davis, who added that in the moment he wanted to be a career ceremonial guardsman. “It was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had.”
Smith, watched that moment and witnessed his trainee truly become a ceremonial guardsman that day.
“Watching them execute on the highest level on that day, they were no longer my trainees, we were peers,” said Smith.
A week after their graduation, six of the 11 Class 25B Airmen detailed to honor the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Memorial ceremony with Taps and a rifle volley.