Saturday, June 28, 2014
Honor Flag
I didn't know about this, but it would have been nice at the funerals of the Las Vegas Metro police officers who died almost 3 weeks ago.
From Vermilion LA Today: It is not every day your assignment for the next two days is to make sure no human hands touch the United States Honor Flag that has been nearly 6 million miles around the Earth.
Sgt. Nick Guidry of the Vermilion Parish Sheriff Department drew that assignment yesterday and today.
The Honor Flag is here in honor of Sheriff deputy Allen Bares Jr., who was shot multiple times and died at the hospital.
It is the first time it visits Vermilion Parish.
The Honor Flag will be displayed on a stand near Bares’ casket at Vincent’s Funeral home and in St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville. It will be folded in a triangle shape the entire time.
Guidry will be sitting right next to the flag, keeping an eye on it at all times. When the casket leaves the church, Sgt. Guidry will walk near the casket, holding the flag.
There are certain protocol that has to be followed when handling the Honor Flag.
“I am nervous about the whole thing,” said Sgt. Guidry. “It is not hard. I just have to remember everything.”
He said he was honored Sheriff Mike Couvillon selected him.
Once the funeral is over, Sgt. Guidry will hand his white gloves to the Bares’ family.
The flag flew in on an American Airlines from Miami. It is stored in its own case. Guidry boarded the plane and went into the cockpit of the airplane to put on a pair of white gloves. The pilot of the airline, also wearing white gloves, picked up the Honor Flag in the cockpit and carried it out of the airplane.
Sgt. Guidry was on the ground waiting to be handed the Honor Flag. Once handed the Honor Flag, he put it against his heart, holding it with both hands.
The pilot handed his white gloves to Deputy David Trahan for safe keeping.
Sgt. Guidry held the Honor Flag and walked back to his vehicle looking downward. Trahan drove back to the parish jail with Sgt. Guidry in the passenger seat holding the flag next to his heart.
When the flag touched down, there were more than 50 officers and 30 police units ready to escort it back to the Vermilion Parish Law Enforcement Center near Abbeville.
Nearly 30 police cars from Iberia, St. Martin, Lafayette, Acadia, Vermilion and Cameron parishes escorted the Honor Flag to the Vermilion Parish Law Enforcement Center. http://www.vermiliontoday.com/local/us-honor-flag-arrives-abbeville-bares-funeral
For more on Deputy Bares: http://www.odmp.org/officer/22125-deputy-sheriff-allen-bares-jr
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