Boot camp continued on C2
By John Bombatch
Staff Writer
The syncopation, timing and cadence that goes into providing a fallen serviceman, policeman or firefighter with a proper honor guard burial ceremony takes practice, and lots of it.
That’s why honor guards from Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio are at the Butler Tech Public Safety Center this week.
In the past, area units have had to travel to other parts of the country to learn the finer points of being an honor guard unit.
According to Nate Ellcessor, a patrol officer with the Fairfield Twp. honor guard, this is the first time that a training boot camp has been held in this area.
“It was my idea. We just started our unit, and the training is something we should be doing monthly. But there’s a lack of professional training in this area,” Ellcessor said. “We’ll be learning anything from the basic skills to marching, how to post the colors, how to post the flags, how to do the funeral procession. It should be very beneficial to us all.”
Butler Tech’s Scott Hughes said 19 honor guard units registered for the weeklong boot camp. DFL Honor Guard Training, based in Goshen, Ind., will have instructors on hand. Hughes said there will be classroom training as well as hands-on skill sessions throughout the week.
Lt. Jean Collette of the Butler County Sheriff’s Department welcomes the training. “It’s a chance for our unit to become more proficient in the drills and to be more knowledgeable in the ceremonial aspects of the honor guard,” she said.
Collette said it’s always helpful to see and learn how other honor guards perform. “From flag folding to handling ceremony caskets, it’s an opportunity for us to learn of any etiquette issues that we may not be aware of, too,” she said.
The sheriff’s department honor guard consists of eight deputies. Two of them have no training, and the other six have not had any formal training. Collette said this is the first time that all eight officers will have trained together.
“We hope to gain a lot of insight from the boot camp, while learning the skills we need to do more as an honor guard unit,” she said.
Ivey Funeral Home, which is located on the grounds of Rose Hill Burial Park, provided caskets and hearses for use in the burial ceremony.
On Friday, all of the units will participate in a full mock funeral, which begins at 11 a.m. at New Life Vineyard Church, 2470 Princeton Road. The funeral procession will culminate with the burial ceremony in Rose Hill Burial Park's brand-new Veteran’s Park. The public is welcome.
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