WEBVTT 00:00.330 --> 00:02.360 - [Alexander] Excited fans of the Portland Timbers 00:02.360 --> 00:05.460 poured in to the newly remodeled Providence Park. 00:05.460 --> 00:08.300 But, before the first goal, the Portland community 00:08.300 --> 00:10.783 cheered to honor those who served. 00:11.640 --> 00:15.703 ♪ And the rocket's red glare ♪ 00:15.703 --> 00:17.980 - [Alexander] Meet Master Sergeant John Hudgel 00:17.980 --> 00:19.760 and the team of Oregon Guardsmen 00:19.760 --> 00:21.830 that make up the Honor Guard. 00:21.830 --> 00:23.840 - So we're here at the Providence Park, 00:23.840 --> 00:27.110 we're getting ready to do a Portland Timbers soccer match. 00:27.110 --> 00:28.060 It's first one of the year, 00:28.060 --> 00:29.710 so we're knocking the cobwebs off. 00:29.710 --> 00:33.570 The team, it's never usually the same four people. 00:33.570 --> 00:35.810 So we'll arrive a couple of hours before 00:35.810 --> 00:39.370 and we'll do rehearsal, we'll go through, 00:39.370 --> 00:40.990 make sure all of our equipment is here, 00:40.990 --> 00:43.870 which is the national colors in the state. 00:43.870 --> 00:47.170 It's a lot of preparation, it's also a lot of, 00:47.170 --> 00:49.150 I wouldn't say nervousness or apprehension, 00:49.150 --> 00:52.478 but there's definitely, we pick up the energy level. 00:52.478 --> 00:55.948 (crowd chanting) 00:55.948 --> 00:57.390 - [Alexander] For Master Sergeant Hudgel, 00:57.390 --> 00:59.080 it's not the crowds or spectacle 00:59.080 --> 01:00.910 that keeps bringing him back, 01:00.910 --> 01:03.550 but the relationship with his fellow service members 01:03.550 --> 01:05.821 in the larger Portland community. 01:05.821 --> 01:08.460 - You know, when I first started doing this, 01:08.460 --> 01:11.020 five, six years ago, I actually was asked to do it 01:11.020 --> 01:14.280 by the Command Chief for a Memorial Day service 01:14.280 --> 01:15.470 at Willamette National, 01:15.470 --> 01:17.740 and it was just to carry the Air Force flag. 01:17.740 --> 01:19.560 And I was just gonna do it one time, 01:19.560 --> 01:21.680 and I wanted familiarization 01:21.680 --> 01:23.280 with just doing something like that. 01:23.280 --> 01:24.800 But it was a lot of fun. 01:24.800 --> 01:27.150 I liked the fact that I was working in a team environment 01:27.150 --> 01:29.330 that's out of my comfort zone. 01:29.330 --> 01:32.070 I like representing the Air Force, 01:32.070 --> 01:34.450 carrying the flag or being in uniform. 01:34.450 --> 01:38.070 I like working with other members of different services 01:38.070 --> 01:42.240 and there's a sense of pride, for especially veterans 01:42.240 --> 01:46.437 who come to those events and we're the first ones to say, 01:46.437 --> 01:47.860 "Thank you for your service". 01:47.860 --> 01:51.607 And, the natural response for us is, 01:51.607 --> 01:53.220 "Thank you for your support," 01:53.220 --> 01:55.370 because we can't do it without them. 01:55.370 --> 01:56.990 - [Alexander] The Oregon Air National Guard's 01:56.990 --> 01:58.310 Honor Guard program 01:58.310 --> 02:00.870 has a unique responsibility to the state, 02:00.870 --> 02:04.780 representing not just Oregon, but the military as a whole. 02:04.780 --> 02:07.260 - Oregon's kind of geographically unique 02:07.260 --> 02:10.500 and we don't really have much of an active duty presence 02:10.500 --> 02:13.800 so, for a lot of the citizens of Oregon 02:15.000 --> 02:16.700 the Air Guard and the Army Guard 02:16.700 --> 02:19.200 are the face of the military for our state. 02:19.200 --> 02:21.710 So to do these events for organizations 02:21.710 --> 02:24.400 like the Timbers, it's meaningful. 02:24.400 --> 02:27.250 It can be a hassle for people to turn around 02:27.250 --> 02:29.630 and find time to do some of the stuff as an extra duty, 02:29.630 --> 02:32.450 but at the same point it means the world to the people 02:32.450 --> 02:34.210 that we're doing these events for. 02:34.210 --> 02:35.480 - [Alexander] While the highly coordinated 02:35.480 --> 02:39.180 drills and movements can take hours of practice and master, 02:39.180 --> 02:43.586 the impact of honoring those that serve can last a lifetime. 02:43.586 --> 02:46.336 (crowd cheering) 02:49.160 --> 02:51.610 Reporting for the 142nd Fighter Wing, 02:51.610 --> 02:53.873 I'm Staff Sergeant Alexander Frank.