Senior Airman Daniel Generette receives honor guardsman of the year award
By By Staff Sgt. Michael Davis Jr., Maryland National Guard Public Affairs Office —
BALTIMORE, Md. – Senior Airman Daniel C. Generette, a member of the Maryland National Guard Honor Guard, received the Honor Guardsman of the Year Award during a ceremony at the 5th Regiment Armory in Baltimore, Maryland, June 23, 2015.
During the ceremony, other Soldiers and Airmen were also recognized and received the 2014 Honor Guardsmen of the Quarter Awards.
Generette received the highest overall total points in the Honor Guardsman of the Year competition, after competing against his fellow Honor Guardsmen of the Quarter competitors. The contest was conducted in three phases: Phase I – an annual assessment of physical training and an evaluation of Honor Guard duties, Phase II – a written test comprised of Honor Guard procedures and its history, Phase III – an inspection of the Honor Guard’s Ceremonial Uniform and an Honor Guardsman of the Year Board.
In addition to Generette scoring well in the competition, Shervell Stevenson, master trainer for the Maryland National Guard Honor Guard, sees him as being an Honor Guard who is meticulous, high-spirited, and takes his overall job wholehearted.
“To me, he’s always in high spirits, always willing to take that extra step, always willing to do what he can do to better himself as far as his performance,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson also said despite Generette’s good characteristics, he is still a humble person and just wants to perform better than how he performed in a previous ceremony.
“I didn’t expect to win,” Generette said. “I just come here to do my job, I support the mission as best as possible, and stay as precise as possible.”
Even though Generette has been an Honor Guard for three years, he said he still gets nervous right before performing his duties during a burial service.
“We practice before our services – do a walk through, but I actually feel for the families of the veteran that passed,” Generette said. “Once we do the ceremony, I just lock it in and make sure I keep my ceremonial composure, but I definitely feel emotional after every service.”
Generette said while performing their duties, he and his fellow Honor Guardsmen try their best to display honor and give the deceased Service member’s family a last impression of the Service member’s dedicated service to state and Nation.
“Whether it’s [a ceremonial] firing party, casket guard, casket bearing, he is always willing to learn that extra bit of information to make himself look better while he’s actually doing his job,” said Stevenson about Generette’s work ethic.
Generette said it was at a ceremony where a fellow Airman and friend, Staff Sgt. Kevin Grant, former Honor Guardsman of the Year, who inspired him to join the Honor Guard.
“He just looked so sharp, and I like to be sharp, as best as possible, and I like to lead by example,” Generette said. “I talked to him for a little bit and he gave me a little bit of the ropes of how to get into the program and I followed the steps and now I am here.”
Covering around 250 burials a month, Stevenson noted that he thinks the Maryland National Guard Honor Guard is a great organization because it not only helps give a final ceremony for the veteran and their family, but it also improves the Soldier or Airman, who are the Honor Guardsman.
Generette also said he feels he has improved while being an Honor Guard, and said he takes the meaning of the word, honor, seriously.
“Personally I feel that honor is about how much you value a certain object or a thing,” Generette said. “I really value this program, I tried my best to get in and with a little diligence and consistency I made it, and look what I have to show for it – I’m Honor Guard of the Year.”