“...I hadn’t been around death or funerals…”
“Honor guard performs colors for various events, but our main priority is recognizing those who have passed away by serving as pallbearers at their funerals. Being a pallbearer can be very difficult and saddening. I hadn’t been around death or funerals very much before, but at the end when you hand the flag off and all of the family members are thanking you I feel like I’ve done something good. One time we worked a funeral alongside a fire department for a firefighter who was also in the reserves. It was a large service and the way they were talking about him had an impact on me. When I was folding the flag for him I kept thinking about how they viewed him. I wanted to give him a perfect flag fold because he was an amazing person and all of these people loved and respected him. Being in the honor guard has given me a new perspective.”
Airman 1st Class Henry Nelson, 9th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels specialist
Hometown: Goldsboro, North Carolina
