The Honor Guard at Mt. Rushmore |
In 1998, the Rapid City Police Department formed its first-ever Honor Guard. This momentous accomplishment came to fruition rather quickly, but was long overdue. It started when the Department was contacted by representatives of the annual Community Prayer Breakfast, which is sponsored by the Christian Businessmen's Association of Rapid City. The Department was asked to provide an Honor Guard for the event, but no such entity existed within the department. Seizing the opportunity, several Rapid City police officers stepped up and expressed a willingness to put an Honor Guard together to represent the Department. Working together, these officers practiced and honed their Honor Guard skills, and on April 9th, 1998, in the presence of several hundred community members, they posted and retired the colors at the Prayer Breakfast.
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Our Flag |
The response to their performance was overwhelming. One person after another expressed their appreciation and admiration for the Rapid City Police Department Honor Guard, and the accolades were well deserved. The Honor Guard performed flawlessly, and they represented the department with distinction. The Honor Guard has grown since that first event and several officers have been added to the Honor Guard ranks. The Honor Guard has now served at a number of events within the Rapid City area, continuing this fine tradition started so recently.
The current members of the Honor Guard are: Senior Officer Rich Holt, Senior Officer Matt Hower, Officer Fred Baxter, Officer Paul Wathen, Officer Chris Regan, Officer Nate Hower, Officer Andy Becker, Officer Matt Owczarek, Officer Christian Sigel, Officer Jesse Oster, and Officer Richard Watkins. The Honor Guard is available to serve at most public functions, or wherever honoring our country and our flag is deemed an essential component of a ceremony.
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Members of the Rapid City Police Department Honor Guard |
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