What is "guard of honor"

Guard \Guard\, n. [OF. guarde, F. garde; of German origin; cf. OHG. wart, warto, one who watches, warta a watching, Goth. wardja watchman. See Guard, v. t.]

1. One who, or that which, guards from injury, danger, exposure, or attack; defense; protection.

   His greatness was no guard to bar heaven's shaft.
   --Shak.

2. A man, or body of men, stationed to protect or control a person or position; a watch; a sentinel.

   The guard which kept the door of the king's house.
   --Kings xiv. 27.

3. One who has charge of a mail coach or a railway train; a conductor. [Eng.]

4. Any fixture or attachment designed to protect or secure against injury, soiling, or defacement, theft or loss; as:

   1. That part of a sword hilt which protects the hand.

   2. Ornamental lace or hem protecting the edge of a garment.

   3. A chain or cord for fastening a watch to one's person or dress.

   4. A fence or rail to prevent falling from the deck of a vessel.

   5. An extension of the deck of a vessel beyond the hull; esp., in side-wheel steam vessels, the framework of strong timbers, which curves out on each side beyond the paddle wheel, and protects it and the shaft against collision.

   6. A plate of metal, beneath the stock, or the lock frame, of a gun or pistol, having a loop, called a bow, to protect the trigger.

   7. (Bookbinding) An interleaved strip at the back, as in a scrap book, to guard against its breaking when filled.

5. A posture of defense in fencing, and in bayonet and saber exercise.

6. An expression or admission intended to secure against objections or censure.

   They have expressed themselves with as few guards and restrictions as I.
   --Atterbury.

7. Watch; heed; care; attention; as, to keep guard.

8. (Zo["o]l.) The fibrous sheath which covers the phragmacone of the Belemnites. Note: Guard is often used adjectively or in combination; as, guard boat or guardboat; guardroom or guard room; guard duty. Advanced guard, Coast guard, etc. See under Advanced, Coast, etc. Grand guard (Mil.), one of the posts of the second line belonging to a system of advance posts of an army. --Mahan. Guard boat.

   1. A boat appointed to row the rounds among ships of war in a harbor, to see that their officers keep a good lookout.

   2. A boat used by harbor authorities to enforce the observance of quarantine regulations.

      Guard cells (Bot.), the bordering cells of stomates; they are crescent-shaped and contain chlorophyll.

      Guard chamber, a guardroom.

      Guard detail (Mil.), men from a company regiment etc., detailed for guard duty.

      Guard duty (Mil.), the duty of watching patrolling, etc., performed by a sentinel or sentinels.

      Guard lock (Engin.), a tide lock at the mouth of a dock or basin.

      Guard of honor (Mil.), a guard appointed to receive or to accompany eminent persons.

      Guard rail (Railroads), a rail placed on the inside of a main rail, on bridges, at switches, etc., as a safeguard against derailment.

      Guard ship, a war vessel appointed to superintend the marine affairs in a harbor, and also, in the English service, to receive seamen till they can be distributed among their respective ships.

      Life guard (Mil.), a body of select troops attending the person of a prince or high officer.

      Off one's guard, in a careless state; inattentive; unsuspicious of danger.

      On guard, serving in the capacity of a guard; doing duty as a guard or sentinel; watching.

      On one's guard, in a watchful state; alert; vigilant.

      To mount guard (Mil.), to go on duty as a guard or sentinel.

      To run the guard, to pass the watch or sentinel without leave.

      Syn: Defense; shield; protection; safeguard; convoy; escort; care; attention; watch; heed.

n. an escort for a distinguished guest or for the casket at a military funeral [syn: honor guard]

Guard of Honor is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by James Gould Cozzens published during 1948. The novel is set during World War II, with most of the action occurring on or near a fictional Army Air Forces base in central Florida. The action occurs during a period of approximately 48 hours. The novel is chapterless in form, using three progressively longer parts entitled "Thursday", "Friday" and "Saturday". From dates on various memoranda quoted, the story takes place on September 2, 3, and 4, 1943.

Before entering the USAAF during 1943, Cozzens had already published 10 novels; his duties included writing speeches and articles for Henry H. Arnold, commanding general of the USAAF. Cozzens worked in the USAAF Office of Information Services, a liaison and "information clearinghouse" between the military and the civilian press (like his Guard of Honor character Nathaniel Hicks, Cozzens' first duty was revising field manuals). One of the functions of his office was in controlling news, and it became Cozzens’ job to defuse situations potentially embarrassing to Arnold.

One such incident occurred during April 1945: African-American officers protested the segregation of officer club facilities in what became known as the Freeman Field Mutiny. Cozzens included a fictional but similar incident in Guard of Honor, not as a dramatic recreation of the incident but as backdrop for his analysis of the relationship between fate and the character and personality of leaders. Although several African-American characters appear in Guard of Honor, none are point-of-view figures.

Guard was one of Cozzens' "professional novels", in which he drew detailed portraits of individuals, centering on their professional lives and the details of their work. He expertly recreates the feel of the stateside Army Air Forces, accurately recalls historical facts pertinent to the story line without becoming academic, and references airplanes and technical aspects without excessive explanation and without bogging down the action. All characters in the novel, except Nathaniel Hicks, are named throughout using their rank or title and last name.