Any member of the United States Armed Forces is highly regarded for their service and sacrifice to the nation. With countless hours spent in training, few jobs are as demanding as serving in the military.
The Air Force Honor Guard, however, takes it a step further.
Their main goals are to protect the legacy of the branch and represent the Air Force on both national and international levels. The Honor Guard is held to the Air Force’s highest standards and is currently operating out of Washington D.C.
Honor Guard duties include displaying the flags, participating in drill teams, carrying deceased service members to their memorial sites, and marching in parades. Some members may even spend half of the year abroad, especially those who choose to participate on the Drill Team.
Air Force Honor Guard positions are volunteer-based, with members receiving no extra pay.
Members are required to commit to a three-year term and must be okay with frequent travel and extended periods away from home.
One Honor Guard team’s extraordinary skills were shown to the world in a recent video posted on Facebook
After just an hour of training, Colonel John “Dragon” Teichert, Commander of the 11th Wing, walked through the Drill Team’s gauntlet.
With days of endless practice, I still wouldn’t be able to walk through all of those rifles without constantly flinching. To all the men and women who can perform a perfect walk through the gauntlet, major kudos to you.
The entire performance was executed flawlessly. Not mistakes were made during his walk.
Although this man only had one hour to prepare, we can’t help but wonder how long the rest of the team had been practicing. They make it look too easy!
Teichert finishes his walk and the spectators go wild.
The rest of the Drill Team remains expressionless, but not Teichert! With a smile that wide, he knows he’s nailed it. The audience members know it, too, as we hear several claps and hollers during the final seconds of the video.
The accuracy and precision displayed by the team were spectacular. The team demonstrated nothing but agility and excellence the entire way through.
Rifles usually used in drill team performances weigh between 11 and 14 pounds.
That is a serious workout! Being able to quickly maneuver such heavy objects is surely no easy feat. There’s no need to hit the weight room after throwing rifles around day in and day out.
Even more impressive, the Honor Guard traditionally uses 11 lb rifles with an added bayonet.
Okay, now we can understand why only one hour of walking practice is nothing short of amazing. Accidentally getting poked by a bayonet could cause some serious damage, but Teichert didn’t hesitate at all!
His walk is so impressive that over 8.6 million people around the globe have been able to witness it.
I bet a few people have even practiced their baton skills, as well. It’s definitely not as easy as they make it look in this video.
When Teichert isn’t walking through the Honor Guard’s gauntlet, he serves as the Senior Defense Official in Baghdad.
He has over 2,000 hours of piloting experience in over 38 different kinds of aircraft. We’re not sure which is more impressive, his stellar walk through the gauntlet or his various plethora of sky time.
See Col. Teichert walk the gauntlet like a pro in the video below!
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