Starting up an Honor Guard

[I_Am_Twigs]

...  We also have several practice parade rifles, including what I call the "Three stooges," where one of our more crafty senior members took pieces of 1"x6" planks, traced the out his M-1 Garand on them, then cut/sanded/shaped them.

I had a squadron that did this as well, the option there was he just cut them, then provided direction on how to sand/shape/paint them.  It was sort of a team building, personal pride sort of exercise.

MK

This is actually something recommended in the Unit Honor Guard Program Pamphlet.

4.5.4. Here is the second key to success. Hand each person sandpaper and have them go outside and
start sanding the rough edges of their practice "rifles." As they are sanding, you may find
communications really starting in team building.

I think we're getting off onto a bit of a semantic tangent here with regard to nomenclature.

In the broad sense of your squadron carrying the colors in a local parade, color guard doesn't equal honor guard.  And there is quite a bit of difference in what's required of a color guard when it comes to uniforms and equipment.

A color guard can be done in the standard service uniform, without the ascot, wheel cap and service jacket.  If this is the path you're taking, don't spend oodles of money buying $200 Drill America M-1 replicas when the $50 imitation rifles will work just fine for your purposes.  And, your squadron commander will expel a lot less stomach acid when one gets dropped, cracked or otherwise broken the first time some knucklehead tries to spin it.

I'm planning to start an honor guard, not a color guard. I want to get the full, proper honor guard uniform.
The events that I plan on doing, and have the ability to set up are fairly big and it will give our squadron some more exposure to the public to help with recruiting.

Does you squadron currently have a color guard? If not, get one first. Honor Guard is based on color guard.

Yes we do have a color guard, in fact I'm the current commander for it, it's kind of on and off right now. I'm wanting to train them so that they can become a honor guard, but I need to know the best way to go about that and what equipment is required.
There was a suggestion recently brought up to me, I should wait until the color guard is consistent in practices and events before we start an honor guard (I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before, feel kinda dumb now for not thinking of it).

[Eclipse]

I should wait until the color guard is consistent in practices and events before we start an honor guard

This.

Also, you don't need >any< equipment to start a color guard or an honor guard, just interested and committed
cadets and seniors.

I have seen far too many of these begin with a big check and end with a Rubbermaid container of gear no one
ever touches, because no one was interested in the commitment required.

Man cadets forget that this sort of thing is extracurricular to the actual program, and can't be allowed to get in the
way of it, or cadets' progression.

[THRAWN]

Every time I read the title of this thread, it's to the tune of "Startin' Up a Posse" by Anthrax....