 On a beautiful fall morning, long before most have gotten out of bed, a dedicated few are already hard at work. Members of the 142nd Wings Honor Guard use the early hours of their October UTA to practice the various moves and techniques that come with the job. Leading this group is an airman dedicated to training the next generation of the 142nd Wings Honor Guard. Hi, I'm taking up Sergeant Abelardo Giannonezza and I'm part of the 142nd Honor Guard team. I'm taking over the NCOIC role. I had my flight superintendent. She recommended me to join the team. I just wanted to be something bigger than myself, be that well-rounded airman. And she thought that would be a good candidate to be in Honor Guard. Hort, arms, one, two. During this morning's training, Honor Guard members are practicing various activities. Flag folding, which involves the precise folding and presentation of the U.S. flag in a variety of ceremonies, requires coordination between team members and a steady hand. Later in the morning, members practice rifle and marching maneuvers. According to Sergeant Lanessa, today's training is just a glimpse of the hours of training it takes to develop the crisp movements that people expect from the team. Oh, it takes a lot of practice, especially when you're not used to doing those movements on a daily and just trying to make it look perfect. The movements, when you learn them, you know, they need to look crisp and snappy. That group training helps us out as a team because we're doing reps. So the more reps that we do together as a team, the better we'll look when we come together for a performance. The more practice that we get together, the better we are. The Honor Guard is always looking for the next generation of leaders. And Honor Guard training sessions are open to any team 142 member. Sergeant Lanessa finds the Honor Guard is a great way for any airman to represent the Air Force, while also connecting with their local community. So they just come out to their practices and come in with an open mind, ask questions, feel like the people that do come, they do come with an open mind and with a positive attitude. One of the ways that we can grow better as an Air Force, just being out there in the public and, you know, we're not just out there fixing planes or, you know, being part of that mission, but another representation of what the Air Force can bring. The hours can be early and the training rigorous, but just as previous generations have carried the colors, the next generation of the 142nd Honor Guard is ready to serve. Reporting for the 142nd Wing, I'm Staff Sergeant Alexander Frank.