'To honor with dignity'

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jason J. Brown
  • 633d Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HAMPTON, Va. --  Mrs. Judith Minor-Spangler stood motionless, her hands clasped tightly over her heart as tears welled in her eyes. The midday sun gleamed off the decorative silver piping on the Airman's service cap as he raised an aging American flag with his white-gloved hands to present to her. The chirping of birds in nearby trees was the only sound during the timeless military ritual, as the small audience watched in respectful silence.

"Thank you so, so much," Mrs. Minor-Spangler whispered to the stoic Airman as he rendered a crisp hand salute to the triangularly-folded flag.

For Mrs. Minor-Spangler, this moment will never be forgotten, not unlike the memories of her late father, George Minor, a former Army medic whom the flag belonged to. For the Airmen of the Langley Air Force Base Honor Guard who visited her home April 11 to perform the ceremonial folding and presentation, moments like these are why they do what they do.

According to Mrs. Minor-Spangler, George passed away at the age of 41 on Independence Day in 1958, the victim of a house fire in nearby Newport News. After it was passed along to her siblings following his death, she recently acquired the 48-star flag from her family following the death of her sister. Upon seeing a ceremonial flag folding on television, she wanted to have the relic professionally folded for display in her home. Not sure who to turn to, she began calling local military installations to inquire about bringing the flag to the base to have it folded.

Langley's Honor Guard not only answered the call, but volunteered to visit her home to ceremonially fold the colors.

"I never expected anything like this, it's just awesome," she said, wiping away tears. "This is an unbelievable honor. God bless these young Airmen."

A three-Airman detail, clad in neatly tailored service dress uniforms, arrived at the West Hampton home, where Mrs. Minor-Spangler and other family and friends greeted them in her backyard. Following a brief practice demonstration, the Airmen began meticulously folding the flag, which despite mild yellowing, remains in excellent condition.

After inspecting the detail's workmanship, Senior Airman Matthew Sorsby presented the flag to Mrs. Minor-Spangler, who had become visibly overcome with emotion during the ceremony.

To Airman Sorsby, a 633d Inpatient Squadron medic, the presentation was "the most rewarding detail he's ever been on."

"It felt really personal and helped me feel connected to families of veterans and what they've done," he said. "It's a privilege to have been able to do it."

Senior Airman Keturah Payton and Staff Sgt. Logan Tuttle folded the flag for Airman Sorsby to inspect prior to presentation. Airman Payton, who serves in the 438th Supply Chain Operations Squadron, said the intimate ceremony was a first for her, but hopefully not the last.

"I rarely get emotional at funerals and somber events like this, but seeing how much being there meant to her really made me see how important what we do is," she said. "I feel blessed and honored myself to have done something like this for someone."

While the BHG traditionally performs at larger-scale events, such as retirements, promotions, changes of command and funerals, the opportunity to reach out to the community on a personal level was "too important to pass up," according to Sergeant Tuttle, a 633d Air Base Wing Public Affairs photographer .

"It's one thing to perform for masses of people at the events we normally serve in, but this one small ceremony puts everything into a different perspective and demonstrates the real reason this team exists at all," he said.

The mission of the Langley AFB Honor Guard is to represent the Air Force by providing military honors at the request of the families for fallen comrades. The team is trained to provide military honors with precision, professionalism and pride, striving to exceed the already rigorous Air Force standards and demonstrating the highest level of commitment while representing the Air Force and Joint Base Langley-Eustis.