The following should be considered the ongoing roles and responsibilities of the Support Vehicle (SV). Each mission is different so these should be considered guidelines, NOT absolute mission requirements that must be followed.
- A Ride Captain (RC) will be assigned to assist with the SV at each mission. This is to reduce the amount of physical work being done by one person and to give each RC a better insight on what the SV does. We would like all the RCs to do this at least once and all trainees (RCAs) will be required to do so before they move up. We would like the RCs to ride in the SV to help understand the importance of properly positioning the support vehicle. After all RCs have done this we can begin assigning members to this task.
- For airport escorts, as soon as the plane lands all water will be returned back to the SV. The SV and the RC assigned to the SV will be waiting for the flags to be returned when the flag line is broken down.
- For an airport escort the SV flags are not required at the funeral home. If the SV wishes to travel to the funeral home he must let the Lead RC know this.
- Lead RC and the 2nd must know where the support vehicle is at all times and must be told where it will be in the procession.
- SV should preferably be parked in the shade at missions on hot days if possible.
- When members are returning the flags at the end of a mission we will be asking them to roll up the flags properly so the SV does not have to re-roll every flag after the mission. It takes about a minute to unroll and re-roll a flag and if you have 200 to do it takes hours. We will show our members how to properly roll up the flags at mission briefings. If a flag is not rolled up correctly we will hand the flag back to the member to re-roll their flag. Until this is SOP we will need as many RCs as possible at the truck when the flags are being returned. We understand that due to time constraints we cannot fully enforce this at escorts but should at all other times. These changes are to help our support vehicle on our missions. If you have any questions on these new procedures please contact the DSC or an ADSC.
Duties of Support Vehicle Team
- Restocking of water and ice into vehicle prior to the next mission (ice needs to be done morning of mission or on the way to staging).
- Delivers flags and water (with ice) to the staging location prior to the start of the posted staging time.
- Delivers flags and water (with ice) to the staging location prior to the start of the posted staging time.
- Gets parking instructions from the Mission Lead for the next destination. (e.g. church, cemetery, etc.)
- Opens door for members to retrieve water but should not remove coolers from vehicle
- Ready to leave from staging at or before the posted KSU time.
- Usually is the tail-gunner for the trip to first destination.
- Parks and opens vehicle for flag removal (Lead assigns helpers)
- Guides helpers to haul coolers up and down flag line.
- If part of FAST, when church service starts ensures that all coolers are returned and loaded in vehicle.
- If part of procession, BEFORE flag line re-forms at end of service, ensures that all coolers are returned and loaded in vehicle.
- Whether Part of FAST or Procession
- Be ready to leave ten minutes after flag line is released (Lead assigns helpers)
- Travels to second destination with FAST (e.g. cemetery)
- line
- Guides helpers to haul coolers up and down flag line
- Reload vehicle (get helpers)
- Have a short briefing with Mission Lead and/or DSC about pros and cons of the day once at home. If there was any rain, must unroll all flags and let them dry (might need to hose them down first). Also need a place to let them stand so they dry completely before being re-rolled.
The Support Vehicle is Not…
- Not a first aid station (the SV can and is encouraged to carry a first aid kit, so is everyone else)
- Not a repair shop. The SV should carry some tools for their OWN repairs while everyone else is expected to do the same
- Not a phone booth. Just about everyone has a cell phone and can call either a tow or 911. The SV team can assist others in either of these areas but the goal is to deliver flags and water to the mission destination at the scheduled time, otherwise the mission is in jeopardy. Having said this, Semper Gumby applies in any emergency situation.
- Not the Store. The Store will be in an unrelated cage and is not the responsibility of the SV team
- Not a social bar. We attend the mission to honor the fallen hero. Please respect everyone’s intent to
Stand Tall and Silent