JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Name: Staff Sgt. Joseph H. Truesdale, Jr.
Hometown: Jefferson, S.C.
Squadron and job title: Aviation resource manager with the 437th Operations Support Squadron
Time in the Air Force: six years and nine months
Time in Honor Guard: six years
What inspired you to join honor guard? My unit First Sergeant at my first base initially inspired me to join. He served in the Honor Guard as a young Airman, and he felt it would be a great opportunity for me.
How do you feel the Honor Guard supports the mission of Joint Base Charleston? We support the mission here by providing funeral honors as well as some colors honors to those attached to Joint Base Charleston as well as those in surrounding areas.
What lessons have you learned as a result of being in the Honor Guard? The biggest lessons the Honor Guard has taught me are both patience and trust in regards to my fellow ceremonial guardsmen. You have to be patient in regards to the training aspect, and you also have to be able to trust your teammates when you go out to these ceremonies.
How do you contribute most to the Honor Guard Team? I've been a team leader on a few flights since I've been in the Honor Guard here at Joint Base Charleston. I feel I contribute the most in regards to making sure our ceremonial guardsmen are trained properly and are being guided in the right direction.
What is your favorite part of being a Ceremonial Guardsman? There's so many I could list, but my favorite part has to be the camaraderie. It's a rewarding feeling to someone who's in a leadership position, like me, to see guardsmen from various career fields buy into one concept to move the mission that we have here.
Do you have any future career goals? After my career in the Air Force is complete, I'd like to be a middle school or high school basketball coach.
Who is your role model and why? My role models have to be my mother and father. My father survived a terrible car accident when I was only 5 years old and my mother won her battle with breast cancer two years ago. Seeing how they've overcome their obstacles shows me that I too can overcome anything.
What is your single most memorable moment in Honor Guard? My single most memorable moment in the Honor Guard had to be when I was a pall bearer for Master Sgt. Pharr's funeral in Concord, N.C. A few other pallbearers and I on the team knew him personally, and I just remember how doing that particular funeral gave a completely different perspective on why we do what we do as Honor Guardsmen.
Honor Guard Charge
H - Handpicked to serve as a member of the Joint Base Charleston Honor Guard, my standards of conduct and level of professionalism must be above reproach, for I represent all others in my service.
O - Others earned the right for me to wear the ceremonial uniform, one that is honored in a rich tradition and history. I will honor their memory by wearing it properly and proudly.
N - Never will I allow my performance to be dictated by the type of ceremony, severity of the temperature or size of the crowd. I will remain superbly conditioned to perfect all movements throughout every drill and ceremony.
O - Obligated by my oath, I am constantly driven to excel by a deep devotion to duty and a strong sense of dedication.
R - Representing every member, past and present, of the United States Air Force, I vow to stand sharp, crisp and motionless, for I am a Ceremonial Guardsman.