The Difference Between Color Guard & Honor Guard

An honor guard honors an individual or group by standing watch during a ceremony, by accompanying and conveying deceased service members or veterans at funerals and burials, and by firing volleys to honor the deceased when appropriate. The honor guard may be comprised of three groups. The first is the color guard, which presents or carries the national or state colors, or flags, at military ceremonies such as promotions and funerals. The second is the body guard, which escorts the person being honored, whether living or deceased, and carries the casket at a military funeral or burial. The body guard also folds and presents the veteran’s casket-draping flag to a widow or other survivor. Finally, the seven-member firing party provides three volleys to honor the fallen.