National
Honor Guard Society
Membership FAQ
Questions About Membership, Standards, Credentialing, and the Society
The National Honor Guard Society is being developed as a national professional and educational organization dedicated to strengthening Honor Guard service through standards, education, credentialing, recognition, resources, and collaboration.
This FAQ is intended to answer common questions from Honor Guard members, agencies, instructors, partners, supporters, and others interested in the Society’s work.
Membership, credentialing, recognition, grants,
scholarships, and certain Society programs are still under development unless specifically announced as active by the Society.
About the Society
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What is the National Honor Guard Society?
The National Honor Guard Society is a nonprofit professional and educational organization dedicated to advancing dignity, consistency, safety, and excellence in Honor Guard service.
The Society is being created to support Honor Guard members, teams, agencies, instructors, partners, and supporters through voluntary standards, educational resources, credentialing pathways, recognition programs, professional networking, and future grant and scholarship opportunities.
Why was the Society created?
The Society was created to help address a national gap in Honor Guard service. Across the country, many Honor Guard teams perform deeply meaningful work, but access to consistent standards, training references, professional resources, recognition, and peer support can vary widely.
The Society exists to help preserve tradition, support professionalism, and create a national framework that serves Honor Guard members across disciplines and regions.
Is the Society only for one discipline?
No. The Society is intended to serve the broader Honor Guard community, including law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical services, corrections, public safety agencies, funeral service professionals, instructors, associations, retired professionals, students, cadets, donors, sponsors, and mission-aligned partners.
Military experience and ceremonial tradition are respected and may inform the Society’s work, but the Society is primarily focused on supporting public safety and civilian Honor Guard service.
Is the Society a training company?
No. The Society is intended to serve the broader Honor Guard community, including law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical services, corrections, public safety agencies, funeral service professionals, instructors, associations, retired professionals, students, cadets, donors, sponsors, and mission-aligned partners.
The Society may recognize qualified instructors, training providers, and educational partners in the future, but it is not designed to replace independent training providers or agency-led training programs.
Why was the Society created?
No. The Society is not a government agency, regulatory body, or lawmaking authority. Society standards, guidance, resources, and recognition programs are intended to be voluntary and educational unless otherwise stated.
Each agency, department, organization, or unit remains responsible for its own policies, procedures, command decisions, operational requirements, and legal compliance.
Membership
Is membership currently open?
Membership is under development unless the Society has formally announced that membership applications are open.
Interested individuals, agencies, partners, and supporters are encouraged to join the Society’s interest list to receive updates about membership launch timelines, categories, eligibility, dues, benefits, and application procedures.
Who will be eligible for membership?
The Society is developing membership opportunities for several categories, including Honor Guard professionals, agencies, teams, instructors, training providers, associations, funeral service professionals, students, cadets, retired members, donors, sponsors, and other mission-aligned supporters.
Final eligibility requirements will be published when membership officially opens.
Is the Society only for one discipline?
Yes. The Society intends to offer membership opportunities for individual Honor Guard members, ceremonial professionals, instructors, retired professionals, students, cadets, and others connected to or supportive of Honor Guard service.
Agency or team membership will not replace internal agency authority, policies, or command responsibility.
Will there be membership dues?
Membership dues, if adopted, will be published before membership opens. The Society may create different dues structures based on membership category, agency type, student or cadet status, retired status, lifetime membership, or other factors.
Does joining the interest list make me a member?
No. Joining the interest list does not create membership, credentialing, certification, voting rights, recognition status, or formal affiliation with the Society.
The interest list simply allows the Society to communicate with you about updates, launch information, membership opportunities, standards development, credentialing, events, resources, partnerships, and other Society announcements.
Will members receive credentials or certifications automatically?
No. Membership and credentialing are separate. Joining the Society will not automatically make someone credentialed, certified, recognized, or approved by the Society.
Credentialing and recognition programs, once launched, will have their own standards, requirements, application processes, review procedures, and renewal expectations.
Will members have voting rights?
Voting rights, if any, will depend on the membership structure adopted by the Society’s governing documents and policies. Some membership categories may be non-voting, advisory, supporting, student, retired, organizational, or otherwise limited in governance rights.
The Society will publish clear membership rules when membership opens.