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About Us
Why the Society Was Created
The National Honor Guard Society was created to strengthen Honor Guard service nationwide by preserving tradition, promoting professional excellence, and expanding access to credible guidance and support. Honor Guard units across the country perform missions of deep public importance, yet many operate with different levels of training, resources, and institutional support. The Society exists to help bring those communities together under a shared commitment to dignity, consistency, and excellence.
The Need for Greater Consistency
Honor Guard practices can vary widely between agencies, disciplines, and regions. While many units have built strong programs, others lack access to formal guidance, experienced instructors, or reliable resources. The Society seeks to support greater consistency by developing voluntary standards, recommending best practices, and providing educational resources that help teams perform safely, professionally, and respectfully while preserving appropriate local and discipline-specific traditions.
The Society’s National Role
The Society serves as a national professional, educational, and charitable organization for the Honor Guard community. Its role is to convene experienced practitioners, develop standards and recommended practices, support professional development, recognize credible training, and help connect units across disciplines and jurisdictions. The Society is not a governmental or regulatory body; its work is intended to provide trusted national guidance and support.
The Disciplines and Communities We Serve
The Society serves Honor Guard members, leaders, instructors, agencies, and ceremonial units representing law enforcement, fire service, EMS, corrections, public safety, military veterans, and multi-agency teams. Our work also supports the families, agencies, funeral-service professionals, memorial organizations, and communities that rely on Honor Guards during moments of remembrance, ceremony, and public significance.
How the Society Is Different
The National Honor Guard Society is not a commercial training company or a local association. Training companies provide instruction, and local associations offer valuable regional support. The Society is designed to complement those efforts by serving as a national nonprofit framework for standards, best practices, professional recognition, resources, and collaboration. Its mission is not to promote one vendor, curriculum, instructor, or regional method, but to serve the Honor Guard profession as a whole.
Our Founding Board of Directors
Bill Owen
Founder, Chairman of the Board
Antonio Ottaviani
Vice-Chairman / EMS
Mack House
Secretary / Corrections
Glenn Wells
Legal Counsel / Military
Doug Swartz
Founding Member / Fire
Dan Grizzard
Founding Member / EMS
Luis Santiesteban
Founding Member / Law Enforcement
Jake Marrow
Founding Member / Fire
Ryan Alexander
Founding Member / Military
Open Seat
Position / Role
Open Seat
Position / Role
Open Seat
Position / Role
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