Robins Honor Guard member garners AF award Published June 12, 2009 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- When Staff Sgt. Juan Scales was picked for a rotation in the Honor Guard at Robins he had no idea that he had just found his calling in the Air Force. "The first time it was a suggestion of my superintendent," said Sergeant Scales, who has been in the Air Force for five years. "She thought it would be good for me. So I came over here with no expectations and I absolutely loved it." He liked it so much that he volunteered for two more 90-day rotations, and then last year he moved to Honor Guard full-time when the position of trainer came open. His passion for his work was rewarded last week when he was named the 2008 Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Base Honor Guard Member of the Year. He found that out just a day after he learned he had won the honor at the Air Force Materiel Command level. His supervisor, Master Sgt. Sharon Royster, was thrilled with the news that he had won Air Force-wide. "I was just ecstatic," she said. "Words cannot express how proud I am of him in his accomplishment." The Robins Honor Guard may be best known to those on base for presenting colors at various ceremonies, but its primary mission is to serve at funerals of Air Force veterans. The Honor Guard here covers all funerals of Air Force veterans in most of Georgia and Tennessee. It's that duty, Sergeant Scales said, that gave him a deeper appreciation not just for the Honor Guard, but for the Air Force itself. "You definitely gain a respect for past members of the Air Force," he said. "Even if you didn't know anything about that member... to know that they served and in some instances died for us, you go out there and give the utmost respect to these members who served their country for us." "It the least we can do for them and their family. For these families, a lot of times you are the last military presence they are going to see, and to lay their loved ones to rest with respect and honor is a great privilege," he added. Sergeant Royster said that even before the position of trainer came open, Sergeant Scales was assisting with training in his second and third rotations with the group. The Honor Guard here consists of two teams of 22 Airmen from units around the base, plus some full-time staff members. "He has a lot of patience," Sergeant Royster said. "When you are training 22 different personalities coming from all walks of life, you have to have that patience. He has to get to know all the Airmen, and he has to be able to adapt to all the different personalities. That's definitely one of his strengths that impresses me a lot." Sergeant Scales, 27, has been at Robins ever since initial training. He was a technician in the 5th Combat Communications Group before he joined the Honor Guard. He will accept the award in a ceremony in Atlanta later this year. He said winning the award is "a thrill," but he credited it to his co-workers. "This award would not have been possible if I did not have my co-workers and my leadership," he said. "From day one when I came here, they have always supported me in anything and everything that I have done. They are definitely the reason that this has happened."