The Mission of the Virginia Department of Forestry Honor Guard is to honor our fallen public servants. The Honor Guard represents the Virginia Department of Forestry with dignity and respect, and to instill a sense of pride, unity, duty, and discipline within our ranks and throughout the Department. The current VDOF Honor Guard organization consists of members from within the agency across the state.
Several personnel serve in command and coordination roles to oversee members and provide guidance and leadership; this includes an Honor Guard Captain, Lieutenants, and Honor Guard Liaison.
In addition to individual memorials, the Honor Guard has been particularly active in state, regional and national ceremonies to honor fallen firefighters, such as the Virginia Fallen Firefighters and EMS Memorial Service in Richmond, Virginia, and the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The group is recognized by peers for its sharp, unique uniform. The dress uniform for VDOF’s Honor Guard is army green and includes a distinctive campaign hat and black boots with a hand-polished toe – both of which indicate that the members are part of the wildland firefighting community.