- Honor guard
An honor guard, or ceremonial guard, is a ceremonial escort, often military in nature, usually composed of volunteers who are carefully screened for their ability and physical dexterity. Only those persons who are highly motivated and maintain exceptionally high standards of appearance and conduct and show aptitude for ceremonial duty are considered. The primary purpose of an honor guard is to provide funeral honors for fallen comrades.
An honor guard may also serve as the "guardians of the colors". They present a nation's colors for various ceremonies and official state functions, both on and off base. Additionally, honor guards serve as ambassadors to the public, presenting a positive image of their service, and assisting with the recruiting effort.
United States
Each military branch has its own honor guard: Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Most state national guard units have a ceremonial guard as well. The official honor guard of every branch is based in
Washington, D.C. , though nearly every military installation will have its own honor guard for local ceremonies and events. The honor guard units in Washington, D.C. represent the military as a whole and the United States as a nation, and perform numerous ceremonies on behalf of thePresident of the United States .Arlington National Cemetery 'sTomb of the Unknowns is guarded by the U.S. 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard).Brazil
The Brazilian armed forces and police have several troops for ceremonial usages. The most important of them is the Brazilian president's
honor guard . It is composed of the 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment (1o Regimento de Cavalaria de Guardas - RCG, in Portuguese) - "Independence Dragoons", the Presidential Guard Battalion (Batalhão da Guarda Presidencial - BGP, in portuguese) and theCayenne Battery (formally, the Historical Cayenne Battery - Bateria Histórica Caiena, in Portuguese).ee also
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Color guard External links
* [http://www.army.mil/oldguard/index2.htm United States Army Honor Guard]
* [http://www.mbw.usmc.mil/ United States Marine Corps Honor Guard]
* [http://www.cnic.navy.mil/NDW/Programs/CommandandStaff/CeremonialGuard/index.htm United States Navy Ceremonial Guard]
* [http://www.honorguard.af.mil/ United States Air Force Honor Guard]
* [http://www.uscg.mil/d5/honorguard/honor.htm United States Coast Guard Honor Guard]
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