National
Honor Guard Society
Standards & Doctrine
Building voluntary national standards and recommended best practices for Honor Guard service.
The National Honor Guard Society is developing a standards and doctrine framework to support dignity, consistency, safety, professionalism, and ceremonial excellence across the Honor Guard community.
Why Standards Matter
Honor Guard service is performed during moments that carry lasting meaning for families, agencies, communities, and the nation. Ceremonies require dignity, preparation, consistency, discipline, and respect for tradition.
Across the country, Honor Guard units often operate with different levels of training, guidance, resources, terminology, and policy support. Many teams perform excellent work, but there is no single national professional framework designed to support Honor Guard service across disciplines and regions.
The National Honor Guard Society is being built to help address that gap through voluntary standards, recommended best practices, reference materials, education, and professional connection.
Example Standards Topics
As the Society’s standards framework develops, topics may include foundational definitions, ceremonial roles, planning guidance, safety considerations, and discipline-specific practices.
Flag Protocol & Presentation
Guidance related to flag handling, folding, presentation, display, and ceremonial meaning.
Funeral Honors
Recommended practices for funeral honors, family coordination, ceremonial roles, formation planning, and levels of honors.
Color Guard
Guidance related to colors presentation, formation structure, movement, posting, retrieving, and public ceremony considerations.
Casket Watch
Recommended practices related to casket watch terminology, purpose, conduct, posture, rotation, and ceremonial discipline.
Safety & Readiness
Planning considerations for weather, travel, equipment, ceremonial weapons, public interaction, fatigue, hydration, and operational readiness.
Training & Evaluation
Guidance related to training progression, rehearsals, performance evaluation, instructor development, and professional development pathways.
Working Definition:
NHGS standards are voluntary professional and educational references intended to support dignity, consistency, safety, and excellence in Honor Guard service.
They are not laws, regulations, mandates, or substitutes for agency authority.
What We Mean by Standards
NHGS standards are intended to provide a common professional reference point for Honor Guard service. They may address terminology, ceremony planning, roles and responsibilities, safety considerations, uniformity, public presentation, training readiness, ceremonial movements, equipment considerations, and discipline-specific practices.
These standards are intended to help members, teams, agencies, instructors, and partners align around trusted principles while still respecting local authority, agency policy, tradition, and operational needs.
Standards, Doctrine & Best Practices
Standards
Standards provide structured expectations, terminology, definitions, and professional reference points for Honor Guard service. They are intended to support consistency and shared understanding across disciplines and regions.
Doctrine
Doctrine explains the principles, reasoning, structure, and application behind standards and ceremonial practices. It helps members understand not only what is recommended, but why it matters.
Recommended Best Practices
Recommended best practices provide practical guidance, examples, checklists, and implementation tools that teams and agencies can adapt to their own policies, traditions, and needs.
Standards Architecture
The Society is developing a standards architecture designed to be organized, expandable, and easy to reference. Rather than publishing one large manual, NHGS standards are expected to be organized by volumes, topics, and individually numbered standards.
Volume 1: Foundations & Definitions
Core terminology, general principles, scope, authority limitations, and cross-discipline definitions.
Volume 2: Ceremonial Roles & Functions
Guidance related to color guard, funeral honors, casket watch, flag folding, flag presentation, escorts, formations, and ceremonial assignments.
Volume 3: Planning, Readiness & Safety
Ceremony planning, risk considerations, travel, weather, equipment readiness, staffing, rehearsal, and safety practices.
Volume 4: Funeral Honors & Memorial Services
Recommended practices for line-of-duty death ceremonies, agency funerals, memorial services, public honors, family coordination, and levels of honors.
Volume 5: Training, Evaluation & Professional Development
Training structure, readiness development, evaluation concepts, instructor development, continuing education, and future credentialing alignment.
Volume 6: Discipline-Specific Guidance
Supplemental guidance for law enforcement, fire service, EMS, corrections, military veteran, and other ceremonial communities.
Standards Development Process
NHGS standards and recommended best practices should be developed through a deliberate process that supports credibility, balance, and accountability.
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Step 1: Topic Identification
Standards topics may be identified through member needs, committee review, agency feedback, subject-matter input, observed gaps, and priority areas within the Honor Guard community.
Step 2: Draft Development
Working drafts are prepared using relevant references, ceremonial practice, field experience, public safety considerations, military and flag-related references where appropriate, and input from qualified contributors.
Step 3: Committee Review
Drafts are reviewed by the Standards & Doctrine Committee and, when appropriate, additional advisors or subject-matter contributors.
Step 4: Legal and Governance Review
Standards are reviewed for appropriate authority language, disclaimers, nonprofit consistency, vendor neutrality, and respect for law, policy, military regulation, and agency authority.
Step 5: Board Approval
Formal publication should occur only after appropriate review and approval by the Society’s governing process.
Step 6: Publication and Revision
Published standards should be maintained as living documents, subject to periodic review, revision, clarification, and improvement.
Committee focus areas:
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Standards architecture
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Terminology and definitions
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Ceremony-related guidance
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Reference development
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Review and revision process
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Coordination with other committees
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Respect for agency authority and legal boundaries
Standards & Doctrine Committee
The Standards & Doctrine Committee is responsible for supporting the development, review, organization, and maintenance of the Society’s standards, recommended best practices, terminology, and doctrine-related resources.
The committee’s role is to help ensure that standards are practical, credible, respectful of tradition, and aligned with the Society’s mission. Its work should complement, but not control, separate credentialing and professional development processes.
Standards and Credentialing
Standards and credentialing are related, but they are not the same thing. NHGS standards may help inform future credentialing pathways, but membership, standards access, or training participation should not automatically imply certification or credentialing.
Standards
Standards describe voluntary professional references, definitions, recommended practices, and expectations for Honor Guard service.
Credentialing
Credentialing is a separate process that may evaluate whether an individual, instructor, team, agency, or provider has met specific requirements established by the Society.
Important note:
No person, agency, instructor, company, course, provider, or team should be described as certified, credentialed, accredited, approved, or recognized by NHGS unless the Society has formally established and awarded that status through an approved process.
Respect for Agency Authority
NHGS standards and recommended best practices are intended to support the Honor Guard community as voluntary professional and educational resources. They do not replace or supersede agency authority, command decisions, applicable law, military regulation, collective bargaining requirements, governmental authority, local policy, benefits determinations, or the judgment of authorized officials.
Agencies and teams should review any Society materials in light of their own policies, legal requirements, operational needs, traditions, and command structure.
Reference Framework
Where appropriate, NHGS standards and doctrine may reference established sources, ceremonial traditions, public safety practice, and applicable guidance. References may vary depending on the topic and discipline.
U.S. Flag Code
The U.S. Flag Code may serve as a foundational reference for flag-related guidance, while recognizing that it is not a complete Honor Guard operations manual.
Military Drill & Ceremonies References
Military drill and ceremonies manuals may provide useful reference points for certain ceremonial movements, formations, and traditions when appropriate.
Agency and Public Safety Practice
Public safety Honor Guard practice, agency experience, ceremony planning needs, and discipline-specific realities should help inform practical guidance.
Legal and Policy Considerations
Standards should be developed with attention to applicable law, agency policy, collective bargaining considerations, safety, risk management, and proper authority limitations.
Published Standards
The Society is currently developing its standards and doctrine framework. As standards are reviewed, approved, and published, they will be made available through this section.
Standards & Doctrine Architecture
Status: Awaiting Board Approval
Framework for how Society standards will be organized, numbered, reviewed, maintained, and published.
Flag Protocol & Flag Code Reference
Status: Working Draft
Guidance related to flag handling, presentation, folding, terminology, and reference alignment.
Levels of Honors Framework
Status: Working Draft
Framework for understanding levels of honors in funeral, memorial, line-of-duty death, and agency ceremonial contexts.
Casket Watch Guidance
Status: Working Draft
Recommended terminology, conduct, rotation, posture, and planning guidance for casket watch assignments.
Color Guard Guidance
Status: Future Development
Recommended practices for color guard roles, formations, posting, retrieving, and ceremonial presentation.
Safety & Readiness Guidance
Status: Future Development
Planning considerations related to training, ceremony execution, equipment, weather, travel, and member safety.
Community Input
The Society’s standards work should be informed by the experience of Honor Guard members, team leaders, instructors, agencies, funeral professionals, advisors, and subject-matter contributors.
As standards are developed, NHGS may seek input through surveys, review opportunities, committee work, working groups, and member feedback. Input does not guarantee adoption, but it helps ensure the standards process remains practical, informed, and connected to the real needs of the community.
Standards Disclaimer
National Honor Guard Society standards, recommended best practices, doctrine, resources, and educational materials are voluntary professional references intended to support Honor Guard service. They do not constitute law, regulation, legal advice, operational command authority, agency policy, military regulation, collective bargaining interpretation, benefits determination, or official governmental classification.
Use of Society materials does not by itself certify, credential, accredit, approve, endorse, or guarantee the performance of any individual, agency, instructor, course, company, provider, vendor, team, or organization.
Agencies, teams, and individuals are responsible for reviewing Society materials in light of their own authority, policies, legal obligations, operational requirements, and professional judgment.
Help Shape the Future of Honor Guard Standards
The National Honor Guard Society is building a voluntary national standards and doctrine framework to support dignity, consistency, safety, professionalism, and excellence in Honor Guard service. Members, agencies, instructors, partners, and supporters can help strengthen this work.
Our National Commitment
Honor Guard service is performed during moments that carry deep meaning for families, agencies, communities, and the nation. These moments require dignity, precision, discipline, and trust.
The National Honor Guard Society was created to help strengthen that work through national standards, recommended best practices, education, credentialing, recognition, resources, and professional connection.
Ceremonial excellence should not depend on geography, agency size, local resources, or access to training.