The Space Force Honor Guard is in the thick of a busy three weeks, checking off historic firsts for Guardians, having supported its first-ever state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter and preparing to participate in its first presidential inauguration for President-elect Donald Trump.
For the 43 members of the Honor Guard, that’s two major undertakings involving rigorous planning and rehearsal.
“The [Honor Guard] is about 17 months old and we are faced with two of the largest ceremonies possible, a state funeral and presidential inauguration, all within a 20-day window,” Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Massoth, senior enlisted leader of the Honor Guard, said in a release. “This is an amazing opportunity to represent all Guardians to the American public and world as we perform two historic events.”
Honor Guards are the premier ceremonial units representing military branches at top public events. Honor Guardsmen bear caskets of deceased service members and their dependents to Arlington National Cemetery, present flags at events, fire volleys at funeral services, and perform rifle drill routines.
For Carter’s state funeral, events started on Jan. 4 in Georgia and lasted through Jan. 9, including services in Washington, D.C. Guardians, along with members from every other service’s honor guards, were there to greet the former president’s casket at Joint Base Andrews, Md., carry it, and present arms during the funeral service.
They did so despite freezing temperatures and snow hitting Washington D.C. the day before Carter’s funeral procession. In the release, Massoth credited the Honor Guard’s focus on physical fitness, nutrition, proper rest, layering cloths, and training in heat and cold weather for being able to perform in adverse conditions.
They may have to do so again on Jan. 20, as early forecasts are calling for temperatures around freezing and wind chills in the teens on Inauguration Day.
There will be backup, though, in the form of 45 Guardians who volunteered to augment the Honor Guard and march as part of the newly formed Department of the Air Force division for the inauguration parade, according to a seperate release.
At the time of the last presidential inauguration in January 2021, the Space Force was just over a year old and still getting its feet under it as the nation’s first new military service in decades. Now, it will be on display for an event that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators and millions of viewers on television.
“This is a great opportunity for Guardians to get out on their marks and represent their service in front of a global audience,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. David McLellan, commander of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, who oversees U.S. Space Force Honor Guard training.
Those 45 Guardians are going through 12 days of training to “master the fundamentals of serving in an honor guard,” according to the release, including precision movements, military drill procedures, and ceremonial protocol.
Regular members of the Space Force Honor Guard develop those skills through weeks of training with the Air Force Honor Guard command. The first Guardian Guardsmen were prior Airmen who had transferred to the Space Force, but “homegrown” Guardians started graduating from the training in August 2024.
The Space Force Honor Guard is not the only organization pulling double duty with the state funeral and inauguration. The Air Force Honor Guard and Air Force Band participated in both as well.