Seven of the base’s elite took part in the filming of a primetime network drama Feb. 9 at a local church.

The Los Angeles Air Force Base Honor Guard supported a request from NBC’s “The West Wing” for an Air Force presence in a television episode featuring the funeral of the series’ White House chief of staff.

“As honor guard members and Air Force ambassadors, we jumped at this innovative opportunity to represent our service to the greater American public,” said 1st Lt. Gordon Kordyak, the honor guard officer in charge.

“We train very hard and take our responsibilities extremely seriously,” said Staff Sgt. Corazon Pol of the 61st Medical Squadron. “A chance like this lets us showcase what we’ve learned and show the world what the Air Force is all about -- honor and discipline.”

The day’s production came on the heels of the real life death Dec. 16 of the actor, John Spencer, who played the character.

“John’s character was previously established as an Air Force veteran, and after his unfortunate death, we asked ourselves how could we integrate this into the show,” said Michael Hissrich, the show’s producer. “We wanted to incorporate the Air Force into his (funeral) service.

“We were all very close friends of John’s,” he said. “It’s going to be tough. The scene is full of strong imagery.”

These thoughts prompted a late call to the Air Force Public Affairs Entertainment Liaison Office in Los Angeles. This triggered a whirlwind of coordination through the public affairs offices of the Space and Missile Systems Center, the Secretary of the Air Force and the Secretary of Defense.

“Extras, they can look good … but having the real thing is the best,” Mr. Hissrich said. “The Air Force honor guard has helped us out a bunch and the Armed Forces have been great. This couldn’t have gone better.”

As part of the funeral procession, the honor guard interacted with actors Martin Sheen, Jimmy Smits and Bradley Whitford. Also, the producer said they went back and asked significant players of the series throughout the years, such as Stockard Channing, to be part of “Leo’s Funeral.”

The show will air April 16.