Statuette honors AF honor guard, core values

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tiffany Trojca
  • Air Force Public Affairs Agency
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  A 30-inch replica of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard statue at the Air Force Memorial went on display at the Pentagon here April 13.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz accepted the replica on behalf of the service from Air Force Association leaders during a Pentagon ceremony.

The AFA representatives said they hoped the statuette would remind passers-by of the honor guard's contributions to the Air Force and the core values its members represent on behalf of the service.

"This is about your legacy, those who came before and, of course, the current members of the honor guard," Schwartz said to the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard members who attended the ceremony. "I think it's most appropriate that you will have this marvelous statue in the chief's office for all to see."

The original 16-foot statue was created by Zenos Frudakis and was unveiled in October 2006. Frudakis' statue greets visitors to the Air Force Memorial, giving the site a human face while also reminding visitors of the sacrifice of those Airmen who lost their lives in defense of the nation.

To create the bronze-cast statue, Frudakis studied members of the honor guard thoroughly. He spent months inspecting their hairstyles, postures and uniform details, down to the creases caused by bearing the weight of flags and the single break in the pants just above their shoes.

To learn more about the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard sculpture and the Air Force Memorial, visit http://www.airforcememorial.org.