DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- The Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operation’s Plans and Programs Division Honor Guard section oversees the Department of the Air Force’s Honor Guard program, providing management oversight, policy, guidance and support to Air Force-wide base Honor Guard programs.
Acting as the guiding force behind the training, curriculum and operations for 141 total force units across the Department of the Air Force, the team ensures the delivery of more than 40,000 military funeral honors annually.
This work is done by a small team of AFMAO members: Master Sgt. Robert Bond, AFMAO DAF honor guard policy program manager and Tech. Sgt. Michelle Abercrombie, AFMAO noncommissioned officer in charge of honor guard policy and programs.
“Our mission is important as it demonstrates the armed forces' highest standards of military bearing, professionalism and discipline as we pay tribute to our fallen who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country,” said Bond. “The United States cares for its fallen armed forces members like no other country, and the honor guard program is the mechanism that shows this to the public.”
Often, the honor guard section interfaces directly with families of our fallen and coordinates military funeral honors and flyover requests, with their interactions being one of the first opportunities the families get to see how AFMAO cares for the fallen and their families.
“When a family member needs to schedule military funeral honors, we are often the first contact they have with the Air Force, so we must ensure that from the get-go, we are professional and eager to assist them in any way that we can,” Bond said. “We strive to ensure that when a family calls, they hang up the phone knowing they were appropriately taken care of. This impact leaves a lasting impression on families and truly allows us the opportunity to go above and beyond to pay our respects to their family member.”
The team also provides multiple courses for base honor guard teams, as well as mortuary officers and technicians.
One of the most critical trainings the team offers is the Casualty and Mortuary Officers course, which provides mortuary officers and technicians an opportunity to come to AFMAO and interface directly with the team — seeing firsthand how their mission fits into the overall mortuary enterprise.
“It is important to ensure that program managers and their Airmen have the tools and education necessary to be successful in executing their mission,” Abercrombie said. “The CAMO course provides resources to the mortuary officers and technicians so they know how to process certain requests or who to contact for questions, as well as show them what is expected from base honor guards and unit leadership to execute the mission successfully.”
As with many positions within AFMAO, the honor guard program management section provides those who support its mission with a unique opportunity to step outside the traditional duties of the services career field and make a lasting impact on families of the fallen.
“Working at AFMAO is a once-in-a-career opportunity,” said Bond, who retires this year. “Being able to work directly with families and ensure that this office provides a positive lasting impression of the United States Air Force for them is one of the most rewarding opportunities I have had during my 20-year career.”