March 14, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Answering the Call: An inside look at the TDCJ Honor Guard

Honor and respect for their co-workers who have departed this life is the primary reason officers within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice listed as their motivation for joining the agency's Honor Guard.

The TDCJ Honor Guard was first formed in the late 1990s at the Holliday Transfer Unit in Huntsville. Since then it has grown to several teams located in TDCJ regions throughout Texas.

Honor Guard members are "the best of the best" within the ranks of TDCJ personnel. The strict guidelines for becoming an Honor Guard member personify its members' commitment to displaying the highest professional attitude and appearance at all times while on and off duty.

The TDCJ Honor Guard may be deployed for funerals of current and retired TDCJ employees, TDCJ dedications, state events and other functions.

Lieutenant Ariel Rosado, Region I Honor Guard commander, says each time the elite group is deployed "it presents a challenge because each service is different. All Honor Guard members must be prepared to adapt to the family's wants and needs" during a difficult time.

The Honor Guard is an integral part of National Correctional Officers Week each May when TDCJ holds a memorial observance in Huntsville and at units across the state to honor the memory of those who were killed in the line of duty.

This year's memorial service will take on even more significance as the Honor Guard pays respects to one of their own who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Telford Unit Officer Timothy Davison was killed on July 15, 2015 when he was physically assaulted by an offender while escorting him to his cell.

Lieutenant Rosado says the message that Honor Guard members most want to convey to the department and the public is that "TDCJ and its employees care about their loved ones."

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