Kirtland Honor Guard member receives AFMC-level award Published May 10, 2013 By Trish Morgan 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- "You can learn a lot from a 6-year-old." That is according to Senior Airman Joshua Harr, the 2012 Air Force Materiel Command's Honor Guard Member of the Year. Harr entered the Air Force in 2009, and was assigned to the 58th Special Operations Wing as a C-130 crew chief. In 2011, he volunteered for the Team Kirtland Base Honor Guard because he was attracted to the sense of discipline required of team members, and was impressed by the uniforms and equipment. His perspective changed thanks to the grandson of a fallen veteran, a 6-year-old boy he encountered while on a funeral detail. "I presented the flag to him and said, 'On behalf of the President of the United States, the Department of the Air Force, and a grateful nation, we offer our nation's flag for the faithful and honorable service of your loved one,'" Harr said. He said his heart was touched by the experience and at that moment, he internalized the base's honor guard motto "To Honor with Dignity." "My reverence for the Honor Guard turned into a passion," he said. In 2012, as Team Kirtland's Base Honor Guard manager and while filling in as superintendent for three months, he helped lead and coordinate more than 425 events, including funerals, colors details, parades and flag-folding ceremonies in support of the base and surrounding communities. He spent 850 hours training 31 new Airmen and served as a military training instructor for local Civil Air Patrol cadets. "I nominated Senior Airman Harr for his superb judgment and dedication toward exceeding the level of excellence, support and management required during his tenure as acting superintendent," said Master Sgt. Rolando Gandara, Honor Guard superintendent. "He has done so much for me as the current manager and for the team as a whole." Harr, a Bristol, Tenn., native, will now represent the command at the Air Force level of competition.