'Seven as one'

Published Jan. 12, 2010
By Airman 1st Class Susan Moreno
11th Wing Public Affairs

BOLLING AFB, D.C. -- On the still, quiet grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, where the grass is speckled with the white tombstones of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, a somber ceremony takes place where another fallen service member is being laid to rest.

Above the low din of the small gathering's murmurs and cries, the command is given for the Firing Party to raise their weapons.

Firing Party members take aim in breathless anticipation. They listen intently for the movements of their team mates, staying perfectly choreographed. Their movements must be fluid, deliberate and perfectly timed to render the proper honor and respect for the deceased.

Suddenly, a shot is fired, piercing the silence. Two more follow, echoing into the stillness. The shots ring out, and all is quiet again.

"It's definitely a lot harder when the funeral is for a young, active duty person," said Sergeant Macomber, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Ceremonial Guardsman. "When they leave behind a young spouse and kids, that's tough."

There are currently 60 Honor Guard members whose primary qualification is Firing Party, and teams perform at anywhere from 1,200-1,500 funerals a year.

The Firing Party performs the firing of three volleys at military funerals. These rifle teams, usually consisting of an odd number of three to seven members, fire three blank rounds in perfect unison to honor their fallen fellow service member. This is commonly, though incorrectly, referred to as the "21-gun salute," which is reserved especially for presidential funerals.

The three-volley salute originates from an old custom in battleground warfare where the dead and injured would have to be removed from the battlefield before the fighting could resume. Once the three shots were fired, signaling that the casualties had been cleared, the fight could go on.

It has survived through time as a ceremonial act performed at military and police funerals as part of the honor guard drill and ceremony.

The party usually stands with their rifles at eye-level and muzzles pointed over the casket--according to legend, to clear a pathway to heaven for the deceased.

In cases where the mourners are near the grave, the Firing Party may stand about 50 feet away to minimize the noise impact.

The Firing Party's responsibilities don't end as soon as the trigger is pulled, however. It's not uncommon for mourners to want a souvenir of the shots fired in honor of their deceased loved one.

"That's where the 'middle man' comes in," said Sergeant Macomber. "He definitely needs to be someone with professionalism and military bearing."

The 'middle man' collects a handful of the spent rounds after the funeral ceremony and presents them to the family.

Training for the Firing Party team is rigorous, and much is expected of the trainees. They are taught proper weapons safety, and how to clean and clear the M-14 rifle--the weapon used in Firing Party ceremonies. They also regularly practice live-firing, since weapons perform differently when locked and loaded.

"We practice everything the Firing Party uses during a ceremony: proper position of attention, dress-right-dress, march on sequence, present and order arms, the firing sequence itself, and most importantly doing all these movements in unison and sounding as close to perfect as possible," explained Staff Sgt. Christopher Cenatiempo, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard ceremonial guardsman. "Perfect means the seven-person team sounds as one, hence the phrase 'seven as one.'"

Airmen train the entire time they are in the Honor Guard, but a Firing Party member earns their firing qualification on average about two-and-a-half months after graduating from technical training.

After qualifying on the firing line, Airmen train to be the NCO-in-charge of the Firing Party, where they focus on properly calling commands, ensuring the Firing Party members are in sync with one another, and maintaining weapons security and accountability.
The Air Force Honor Guard also takes a different approach to commands called on the firing line.

"The Air Force Honor Guard Firing Party is the most unique of any of the other branches," said Sergeant Cenatiempo. "The reason being, because the Air Force Honor Guard takes one single command of 'Ready, up,' that initiates the entire firing sequence for each volley. It is absolutely paramount that all seven members are listening closely to each other, so they are locked on and in perfect time with each other, while executing all seven movements of the firing sequence," he said.

The firearm used by the team is typically some sort of rifle, usually an M-1, M-14 or M-16.

The Firing Party is congressionally mandated to perform at funerals in Arlington National Cemetery. Funerals that take place anywhere other than national cemeteries must have at least two members of the branch the deceased honorably served in--one to play the bugle, and one to present the flag to the surviving loved ones.

Sergeants Cenatiempo and Macomber expressed their pride in what they do, saying that "Our job is one of the final honors paid to fallen Airmen. It is an integral part of the last honors given during a funeral. There's nothing we'd rather do."