“It just really gives them an advantage of what they are going to see out there when they perform a service,” according to Mark Roth, one of the owners of Thomas Family Funeral Home. Roth and Memorial Monuments, a monument company serving 10 states in the northern and northwestern U.S., were able to help the Minot Air Force Base Honor Guard take the next step in preparing for a gravesite service for active duty and veterans in western North Dakota. “They are able to simulate the actual set-up, the weight, the height of the coffin and actually have all of the pieces in their shop where they can practice.” Last year Thomas Family Funeral Home donated a casket for the Honor Guard to practice with. “I was shocked at the amount of practicing they do,” continued Roth. “It made me appreciate their wanting to practice, and how even little things like where I park the funeral coach affect them”.
From the point of the MAFB Honor Guard, doing it right is why they practice. “We have to constantly remind ourselves why we are here,” according to SSgt Richard Cabak, who is completing his 12-month tenure as a member of the Honor Guard. “Essentially you are taking everything that this person has accomplished, and you are wrapping it into one ceremony. You are honoring that person’s memory.” Even though the 22 members of the Honor Guard enjoy what they are doing, SSgt Cabak said they have to always remember what the purpose is. “That is so incredibly important.”
"Essentially you are taking everything that this person has accomplished, and you are wrapping it into one ceremony. You are honoring that person's memory."
SSgt Richard Cabak, Minot AFB Honor Guard
With the added equipment, Roth says that the entire Minot community will benefit. “Now they have the equipment to practice and not wonder what it’s going to be like during the service. Everyone who has a service for an active duty or veteran of the Air Force will benefit, and that is what’s really important.”
For members of the Honor Guard, their contracts are usually one year, but that may vary. “Some are members for a continuous 3-month contract, and others are every other month for one year, depending on their squadron,” explains Cabak. And how many services or ceremonies can be scheduled per month? “It really depends on the month. You can go an entire month with no activity, and then the next month there can be 12-13 events on the schedule.” The Minot AFB Honor Guard is also asked to perform at a lot of other events besides funerals. “There are sporting events, government events and civic celebrations,” said Cabak. There are also different levels of military services for funerals. “The most common is the 3-person team that includes a bugler and a team of two that fold and present the flag.” Cabak is quick to point out that it is really up to the family to determine how much the Honor Guard is involved in the service. “We do flag-folding, firing-party and casket-and-cremains funerals,” he said. The Honor Guard practices all or parts of these services on a daily basis.
For SSgt Cabak and the rest of the Minot AFB Honor Guard, they know that the ceremony they perform is the last time the family will have contact with the U.S. Air Force. “This is their final send-off.” And when his year is done? “I will miss it. None of us do this for a reward. We do this because we want everyone to say it was a job well done.”
