MANSFIELD – Veterans Day is a special day: a federal holiday for some, a day of festivities for many and most importantly a day to recognize all of the sacrifices made by so few for so many. The Base Honor Guard of the 179th Airlift Wing (AW), Mansfield, Ohio, knows this better than most.
They perform at funerals with military honors and they post the colors at events all times of the year. Every year around Veterans Day, the schedule fills up with events requesting service. These service members volunteer their time and often travel in an unpaid status to make it to these various events and locations. They do it for the love of their country and the pride they have in their brothers and sisters who have given their all.
179th AW Base Honor Guard Non-Commissioned Officer-In-Charge, Tech. Sgt. Michael Swick, scrambles to meet the ever growing amount of requests that pour in from the community. The 179th Airlift Wing has approximately 30 members in the Base Honor Guard, most are traditional guardsmen, who work full time at civilian employment, raise families, attend college, stay active in their community, and manage to volunteer what time they can to fill Honor Guard events.
During the week of Veterans Day, the 179th AW Base Honor Guard logged 395 miles, 104 man-hours, to perform a total of twelve Color Guard events. While some events require a full color guard team of four personnel, others are manned with three, two, or even one Ceremonial Guardsman.
Forty-four positions needed filled this week and eleven Ceremonial Guardsmen fulfilled those requests. Many of these dedicated individuals performed in multiple events; for example, SSgt Alexander Elmlinger performed in eleven of the twelve events.
Tech. Sgt. Swick started working Nov. 10, the night before Veterans Day, covering a Veterans Day event at the First Congressional Church of Mansfield, Ohio, where 179th AW Commander, Col. Gary McCue was a guest speaker. After posting and retiring the colors at the event, Swick ironed his uniform and hung it up for some rest.
Veterans Day started at 6:30 a.m. for Swick, when he arrived at the base to load the van and make final adjustments to his uniform. Having destroyed one of his high-gloss boots performing Military Funeral Honors at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery last week, he was still breaking in a new set of boots. Like the rest of the Base Honor Guard’s Ceremonial Uniform, these boots are highly modified with metal taps on the toes, sides, and heels, which aid in the team’s synchronization. After fitting taps to the new boots, he applied one more coat of the obligatory heel and sole dressing, and then checked the van to ensure that all gear for the day’s events had been loaded.
By 7:15 a.m., the Base Honor Guard was rolling out the front gate.
This day the team would face many crowds. The first event of the day was at Monroeville High School, where a long time member of the 179th Airlift Wing, Senior Master Sgt. Scott Sparks, was attending a ceremony that his daughter, Sarah Sparks, had helped to organize. Sarah, a junior at Monroeville High School, spearheaded a campaign to raise the funds for a 12 ft. x 18 ft. American Flag that can retract into the ceiling of the gymnasium, and the school can roll it out for events. The Veterans Day event dedicated the new flag and the 179th AW Base Honor Guard presented the Colors for the crowd.
The next stop was at the Mansfield Veterans Day Parade. Each year, members of the 179th AW and 200th RED HORSE volunteer to participate in this event. The Base Honor Guard can always be found at the front of the parade, leading the community of veterans and supporters down Park Avenue into the square of downtown Mansfield.
After the parade, the honor guard members went to the Texas Roadhouse, one of many local restaurants that offer a free meal to veterans and active service members on Veteran’s Day. The community support for military service is strong in Mansfield, yet another reason the Base Honor Guard strives to support the community in return.
After refueling at the Texas Roadhouse, the Honor Guard was back on the road. This time they are called to action at Mifflin Elementary School. A large crowd of parents, teachers and students fill the gymnasium with patriotism and a wave of silence washes over the students as the Base Honor Guard steps out to perform. Some children in the room stand at attention, visibly in awe of the men in the blue uniforms. This will no doubt be a Veteran’s Day at school that they won’t soon forget.
The last event of the day was held at the Salvation Army’s Dewald Community Service Center. The Dewald Community Service Center provides a safe place for children to play or get help with their homework, after school.
Tech. Sgt. Katie Casto from the 179th AW volunteers to mentor the children in her free time. In an effort to make this Veteran’s Day special, she requested that Capt. Matt Bulanda, a pilot of the 164th Airlift Squadron and Staff Sgt. Cesali Adams, a 179th AW recruiter and the Base Honor Guard be guest speakers at the community center’s event.
The Base Honor Guard presented a program on the history of the flag of the United States accompanied with a lesson in the proper folding of the flag. The children asked a variety of questions about what the military is like, what basic training was like and what it would take for them to someday be a part of it all. The children asked to see the military members do ten push-ups for them as demonstration. As the children requested, despite being in full Ceremonial Uniform, the Base Honor Guard members joined a recruiter and a pilot to show them what a proper set of Air Force push-ups look like.
It was getting dark and Tech. Sgt. Swick was visibly tired as he reflected on the day and loaded up the van at the last event. Swick said “At the end of the day, the training, traveling, and volunteering is time well-spent when you see the pride in a spectator’s face, hear a room full of children yell “thank you” in unison, or just know inside that you have served as the Air Force and Air National Guard’s ambassador to the community.
Some of the people in the last week may not have any other exposure to the military. Maybe one day some of the students will join the military themselves, possibly even the 179th Airlift Wing. You just never know who you have made an impression on.”
“At the end of the day, the training, traveling, and volunteering is time well-spent when you see the pride in a spectator’s face, hear a room full of children yell “thank you” in unison, or just know inside that you have served as the Air Force and Air National Guard’s ambassador to the community,” said Tech. Sgt. Swick.
