Rifles flew through the air as members of the United States Air Force Honor Guard performed a drill routine Thursday on the Parade Ground amid cheering ROTC Detachment 310 members.
This marks the first time the 16-man honor guard drill team has come to campus, said Joseph Mahler, cadet captain of the LSU Air Force ROTC. The team is led by 1st Lt. Alexander Stanton, a University alumnus.
Stanton graduated in 2007 and was a member of the University’s Air Force ROTC for four-and-a-half years.
“I wanted to be in the military my whole life,” Stanton said. “My parents told me that if you wanted to be in the military, you should be an
officer.”
Stanton grew up in New Orleans and worked his way to officership by attending college and participating in the Honor Guard. His commander eventually chose him to lead the drill team, he said.
During their presentation, the drill team coordinated their rifle movement with the movement of their bodies as members tossed and caught rifles one-handed while marching. Each man perfectly timed his tosses with the others to create perfect unison, flawless action and constant rhythm.
“The cadence to the drill is just like music,” the announcer said.
In one routine, each man launched a rifle back over his head and the man behind him caught it. The team also performed a “domino effect” as they spun their rifles to resemble a wave.
“The cleanliness of their performance … is representative as a whole of what we do in the Air Force,” Mahler said. “It takes a lot of calls, practice and trust in one another.”
Each drill team has a trademark maneuver. The members of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard have one that risks danger — spinning their rifles at a speed of 40 mph just inches from their bodies.
It’s a large coordinated effort in all ways, Mahler said.
During the presentation, four of the most precise, focused men came forward to perform a routine surrounding Stanton, in which they tossed rifles and pointed them inches from his face. Stanton stood in the center as the men tossed rifles above his head.
The last sequence the drill team performed featured Stanton marching down a narrow aisle between two lines of men spinning their weapons. Stanton marched back and forth through the line, demonstrating the “teamwork, precision and unwavering trust” of the team as a whole.
“It’s amazing,” Stanton said. “I love leading air men. That’s what I really wanted to do.”
Every drill the Honor Guard performed illustrated ideals of the Air Force as a whole, including the continuing pursuit of freedom, security and sacrifice, the announcer said. Each action required the unwavering focus of each man on the team.
Stanton said the drill team practices six hours a day and travels around the world performing their routines. The Honor Guard’s team has been to Canada and Puerto Rico, among other regions. They will travel to perform in Norway in May of this year.
“We hope they will return in the future,” Mahler said.
 
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Contact Shannon Roberts at [email protected]