Premier Honor Guard

What does the Premier Honor Guard career field do?

Performs traditional Honor Guard roles and duties. Represents the Air Force at ceremonies where protocol or customs dictate using an honor guard or military escort. Conducts, plans, trains, and supervises military and civilian events, ceremonies, and protocol functions. Related DoD Occupational Subgroup: 183000.

Duties and responsibilities

• Manages and participates in honor guard operations.
• Performs as an Honor Guard and Ceremonial Guardsman. Symbolizes the United States Air Force to American and foreign dignitaries at public ceremonies in the National Capital Region, at all Air Force installations, and various locations around the world. Participates in Air Force and joint service arrival and departure ceremonies for the President, foreign heads of state, and other national or international dignitaries. Performs Military Funeral Honors for AF active duty, retired personnel, veterans, and dependents according to public law.
• Acts as an escort or member of an honor guard unit. Participates in Air Force and joint service ceremonies on special occasions such as state, official, special military, or Air Force funerals, wreath ceremonies, and color guard and escort duties at civil and military events and ceremonies.
• Performs honor guard duties for senior leader or installation events, luncheons, retirements, promotion ceremonies, and civic events as deemed appropriate by tradition, custom, historical references, and military protocol.
• Plans, schedules, coordinates and conducts honor guard activities. Plans, schedules, coordinates, and conducts honor guard participation in Air Force and joint service ceremonies. Advises, and provides technical expertise on activities and matters pertaining to military drill, honors, ceremonies and protocol.
• May participate in intermediate and advanced armed drill routines at civilian and military events and ceremonies across the globe.
• Deploys in support of National Special Security Events. May be assigned to support State Funeral Plans as a quick reaction force/flyaway team member.

Specialty qualifications

Knowledge. Knowledge of military customs and ceremonies.

Education. For entry into this specialty, completion of high school with courses in government and physical education is desirable.

Training.

• 8G031. Completion of USAF Honor Guard Course, L5AQ08G031 (OH1A).
• 8G071. Completion of Protocol, Honors, and Ceremonies Course, L5AZO8G071 (OH2A).

Experience.

• 8G051. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 8G031X. Also, experience performing funerals and ceremonies, firearms security and handling.
• 8G071. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 8G051X. Also, experience supervising, teaching, and scheduling funerals, ceremonies, and honor guard operations.
• 8G091. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 8G071. Also, experience managing and controlling honor guard operations, missions, and programs.

Other. The following are mandatory:

• See attachment 4 for additional mandatory entry requirements.
• For entry:
• E-5 through E-8 must be able to obtain 4 or more years retainability prior to HYT.
• Must have outstanding military bearing and appearance and demonstrate high level of professional and military conduct.
• Skill level commensurate with grade, if applicable.
• Minimum height of 66’’. Maximum height of 76’’
• For award of suffix B, minimum height is 69”.
• For award of suffix C and D, minimum height is 68”.
• Last five performance reports must demonstrate consistently high standards of character, discretion, and performance.
• No record of disciplinary action that resulted in an Article 15 or Unfavorable Information File for the past three years.
• Never been convicted by a civilian court of Category 1, 2, 3, or 4 offenses.
• No history of excessive alcohol use or been arrested for an alcohol related incident, regardless of disposition, except when found not guilty.
• Must not have a record of Self-Directed Violence or Self-Directed Violence-Preparatory, suicide attempts, or suicidal ideations.
• Must complete the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) assessment.
• Interview, using the Honor Guard Psychological Screening Protocol, and favorable recommendation by a psychologist, social worker, or psychiatrist.
• Must score at least 50 percentile on the Honor Guard Predictive Success Model (PSM).
• Never been permanently decertified from Honor Guard duties.
• For entry and retention:
• Must have scored 85 or above on most recent fitness test, no failure on any portion within the last 12 months, and no more than one fitness assessment failure during current enlistment. NOTE: Award if suffix B, requires passing completion of the USAF Pallbearer Occupationally Specific Physical Fitness Assessment.
• Not exceed maximum abdominal circumference standard of 39 inches for males, 35.5 inches for females.
• Body Composition Assessment category must be “Low Risk.” NOTE: May be waived if Waist-to-Height Ratio does not exceed .53.
• Vision must be 20/20 or correctible to 20/20 using contact lenses.
• Must be able to conform to exacting grooming standards listed in AFMAN 34-515, Honor Guards.
• No medical conditions preventing prolonged standing, (i.e., vertigo, back or knee disorders), marching, repetitive movements, or other physical limitation that prohibits execution of ceremonial duties.
• No history of dizziness, fainting, or any physiological conditions that could lead to syncope.
• No recorded evidence of unresolved clinically diagnosed mental health issues that prevent the member from arming, sleeping, learning, and/or performing funerals and ceremonies.
• No record of substance abuse, financial irresponsibility, domestic violence, or child abuse.
• No record of conviction by summary, special, or general courts-martial.
• No record of disciplinary action (Letter of Admonishment [LOA], Letter of Reprimand [LOR], or Article 15) for any of the following:
• Engaging in an unprofessional or inappropriate relationship as defined in AFI 36-2909, Professional and Unprofessional Relationships; or
• Failure to exercise sound leadership principles with respect to morale or welfare of subordinates; or
• Taking or failing to act in situations thereby exhibiting a lack of integrity, or
• A violation of Article 107, Uniform Code of Military Justice, False official statements; or
• Participating or allowing others to participate in behavior or activities that are of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces.
• Have no conviction under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) during current enlistment to include nonjudicial punishment.
• Never convicted in civil or UCMJ proceedings (to include judicial and nonjudicial punishment) for any type of drug abuse or drug-related offense.
• No more than two Premature Fallouts throughout career.
• No more than 180 days in Duty Not Involving Ceremonies (DNIC) status during a 12-month period.
• No more than 3 late or missed guard mounts throughout career.
• Retraining into the 8G0X1 career field is restricted to the grades of E-6 and below with less than 15 years of total federal military service.
• Must maintain local network access IAW AFI 17-130, Cybersecurity Program Management and AFMAN 17-1301, Computer Security.
• Must be eligible to access US Capitol and State, Executive, and Defense Department facilities and possess no unresolved access denials.
• Must possess current Secret (minimum) security clearance IAW DoDM 5200.02, DAFMAN 16-1405, Air Force Personnel Security Program. Certain positions within this specialty may require TS/SCI with Yankee White Clearance. Members in CAT 2 or CAT 3 Presidential Support Positions must be eligible for a Tier 5 (T5) investigation. CEM code 8G000 requires routine access to T5 information, systems or similar classified environments. For award and retention of CEM code 8G000, completion of a current T5 investigation IAW DoDM 5200.02, DAFMAN 16-405, is required.

Civilian career paths

Comparable civilian careers for this field pay roughly $34,750–$43,130 per year (median salaries; varies by role and location):

• Dancers: N/A
• Models: $43,130
• Security Guards: $34,750