The United States Honor Guard emblem, also used for Base Honor Guards, was originally the work of Malcolm Haines, Superintendent of the formation in the years immediately after it was made a distinct and separate unit, and Senior Airman Scott Stuart, who submitted the final draft that was eventually approved in 1976. It features crossed M-1 Garand rifles superimposed over a red-festooned Roman helmet, symbol of the Emperor’s Praetorian Guard—the archetype of all ceremonial military units.
The helmet’s silver represents the excellence displayed by all chosen to serve as a USAF or Base Honor Guard member, while the rifles reflect the M-1’s status as the unit’s most-used weapon (it was, however, replaced by the M-14 in 2002). Ultramarine blue is one of the Air Force colors, denoting the sky and beyond as the service’s primary theater of operations. “IN HONORE ET DIGNITATE, the unit motto, is Latin for “In Honor And Dignity” and expresses the overarching principles that guide the formation (the Base Honor Guard motto is almost identical).