I am a Ceremonial Guardsman Published Jan. 29, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Ben Burk 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs office SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- On a rainy day in Illinois, family members of a fallen veteran wait near a gravesite for the arrival of their deceased relative. Not a sound is uttered. A hearse pulls up and an elderly woman wearing a black veil exits the vehicle and joins her family. Out of the silence the low groan of military cadence fills the air. Six Airmen step in perfect formation toward the hearse to retrieve the casket. The family follows close behind leaving a trail of tears to the gravesite. The crowd watches in silence as an American flag is folded and handed to the Airman in charge for final inspection. The others march off and perform rifle volleys. A bugler plays taps. Family members weep but their eyes return to one Airman, standing motionless, with a symbol of their loved one wrapped in his arms. I was that Airman. The culmination of months of training enabled me to perform that ceremony. I was drafted into the Honor Guard, and although I didn't have a choice to go there, I was excited for the opportunity to try something new. In my short time as a performing member, I performed many details, but there are two services that I won't soon forget. The first is the one I opened with. The second is from a service for a veteran who passed away rather suddenly. It isn't the ceremony that sticks out, or the guardsmen who accompanied me, but the words spoken by the next of kin to whom I presented the flag. I don't know the heartache involved with losing someone so special but I can only imagine the pain. In the midst of that pain, this particular widow showed more courage and strength in a time of despair than anyone I've ever seen. Her children sat beside her as I presented the flag, each one of them in tears. She however, sat in her chair with her head held high as the lone figure of strength in her family's time of need. As I placed her husband's flag in her arms she leaned in close and whispered thanks. She told me the Air Force was in great hands because of young Airmen like me, and her late-husband would have been proud of the performance the team provided. I have never cried at a funeral, but as I stood up and saluted my fallen comrade, a single tear fell from my eye. Despite all the long hours and time away from my friends and family, I am proud of my tour in the Honor Guard. I met amazing people and traveled places I otherwise would have never visited. Above all, I served my country in one of the most meaningful ways: I paid fallen veterans final honors on behalf of the President of the United States, the Air Force and a grateful nation. It is something that will stay with me forever.