Laid up in the transition barracks at Joint Base San Antonio, Airman Basic Sean Conaway rested his freshly broken fibula and mulled over his future. While the injury wouldn’t end his enlistment, Conaway’s dream of joining Air Force Pararescue — one of the branch’s four special operations elements — was likely over. Reluctantly, he thumbed through a stack of career brochures describing occupational specialties open to failed pararescue apprentices, before he reached the one labeled “civil engineering.” The airman paused, opened the booklet and started to read.
As he sized up the photos of plotters and drafting tools in the brochure, Conaway reflected on his enlistment earlier that year, in August 2008. Central to his decision to forgo college was “service.” He knew that he couldn’t allow one setback to prevent him from achieving his ultimate goal — to be part of “a cause greater than [himself].”
What Conaway didn’t know then was that his next decision would prepare him to serve on an international stage, commanding the joint service honor guard responsible for escorting former President Jimmy Carter during the late commander in chief’s state funeral last week.
“After I broke my leg, I ended up serving as an engineer apprentice — doing surveying, drafting and design and geospatial work,” Conaway said. “That career choice set me on the trajectory that brought me to the capital to serve in The Old Guard.”
The Old Guard — or the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment — is the Army’s premier ceremonial unit, conducting memorial affairs, performing in special events and escorting the president. Today, Conaway commands the Honor Guard Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, but he cut his teeth in a similar ceremonial unit over a decade ago.
Conaway’s Wonderful, Winding Path to The Old Guard
In 2011, during his last year in the active-duty Air Force, Conaway volunteered to serve on the honor guard detachment at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Georgia — an experience he called “transformational.”
“The first time I handed a folded flag to a grieving family and delivered a message of condolence revolutionized my perspective on the world,” he admitted. “I realized how insignificant my problems were compared to theirs, and what a privilege it was to be a part of something so moving. It inspired me to be better — to take nothing for granted.”
Once his enlistment ended, Conaway enrolled at Arizona State University, where Pat Tillman — the linebacker who famously abandoned a lucrative professional career to enlist in the Army after the Sept. 11 attacks — played four years of college football. Tillman’s legacy prompted Conaway to try out for the Sun Devil’s football team. And in 2012, despite a four-year absence from the gridiron, the 22-year-old freshman successfully walked into the program.
“I’d found a bit of success playing football and lacrosse in high school,” Conaway said. “I got calls and letters from a few colleges, but I’d already made the decision to serve my country.”
Though he abandoned the sport to enlist, Conaway actually credits his Air Force experience for the life lessons, resilience and perspective that underwrote his success at Arizona State.
“It turns out that you do a lot of growing between 18 and 22, physically and emotionally,” he said. “By the time I showed up at ASU, I was ready to excel and make the most of my collegiate experience.”
Tillman’s example also inspired Conaway to resume his service and pursue an Army commission. After completing his degree in 2016, the former airman attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Moore, Georgia. Twelve weeks later, Conaway left Fort Moore an engineer officer — a career choice informed by his four years of enlisted service.
“As soon as I graduated, I knew I wanted to lead America’s sons and daughters,” Conaway said. “I chose to serve as an engineer because I’d experienced the job from the perspective of the service members who do the work.”
Fatefully, in 2020, Conaway’s decision to branch engineering aligned him with a talent-based pilot program at the Engineer Captain’s Career Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The program allowed him to compete for an exclusive leadership billet in The Old Guard as a junior captain. Conaway approached The Old Guard selection panel with the same mentality that earned him a roster spot on his college football team.
“Most Old Guard commanders are infantry officers, but I interviewed with the former regimental commander anyway,” Conaway explained. “Col. [Patrick] Roddy [Jr.] believed I’d represent the regiment well — he trusted me. I was floored.”
After completing his first company command at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Conaway arrived at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, and assumed the Honor Guard Company guidon. Now as the Honor Guard Company commander, he executes joint and Army ceremonies throughout the National Capital Region, showcases the Army to global audiences, and defends the dignity and honor of fallen American service members and civilians.
Conaway’s Honor Guard Celebrates Carter’s Legacy With Military Precision
Last week, when the nation bid farewell to its 39th chief executive in a state funeral marked by pageantry and tradition, Conaway’s company shined. Like all presidential send-offs, Carter’s was an elaborate ceremony, meant to celebrate his legacy in full view of the American people. For Conaway’s soldiers, the funeral represented an opportunity to honor the former commander in chief by performing their duties flawlessly.
Conaway explained that behind every flawless ceremony lies months, or even years, of preparation. For Carter’s funeral, that preparation combined on-site rehearsals at some of the capital’s iconic landmarks — including the Rotunda and National Cathedral — with routine, non-site-specific training.
“We routinely practice state funeral sequences, like drill and flag folding,” Conaway said. “We can’t always account for where a ceremony may take place — presidents’ hometowns vary — so we compartmentalize competencies for use anywhere.”
From high-profile national ceremonies to daily funerals at Arlington National Cemetery, Conaway’s soldiers rely on the same core movements refined through repetition and attention to detail.
“Our soldiers consistently train the same movements throughout the National Capital Region,” Conaway said. “We don’t have to disregard tradition to accommodate an unfamiliar space.”
For joint ceremonies like Carter’s, Conaway leverages quarterly rehearsals scheduled by the Military District of Washington. The sessions familiarize Old Guard soldiers with their Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force counterparts to standardize performance and foster interservice “esprit de corps.”
“When we all get together, we all have to look exactly the same,” Conaway said. “It’s difficult to create that chemistry and synchronization without rehearsals, so we meet with other services frequently to refine our sequences.”
During Carter’s funeral, that team-oriented approach extended to The Old Guard’s historic Fife and Drum Corps, whose long-serving members safeguard the organization’s traditions. Conaway credited the Corps for ensuring that transitions between landmarks happened smoothly — from the Carter Center in Atlanta to the U.S. Navy Memorial and National Cathedral in Washington. He specifically lauded Fife and Drum veterans Army 1st Sgt. Jeb Hague and Army Sgt. 1st Class Deanna Hamm for their coordination and support in “ensuring all ceremonial forces, including the joint service honor guards, were in the right place at the right time to pay respect to the former commander in chief.”
Conaway also recognized his senior noncommissioned officer, Army 1st Sgt. Shane Grinder, for assuming his command responsibilities while the former personally oversaw the late commander in chief’s casket detail.
“I’m tremendously grateful for 1st Sgt. Grinder, who basically carried the load of two senior company-grade leaders during the casket procession,” he said. “Grinder absorbed my role as the joint team’s officer-in-charge, all while performing his own.”
This weekend, a brief lull in the Honor Guard’s schedule allowed Conaway to reflect on his company’s contribution to the funeral — and his unconventional path to The Old Guard.
“I want the American people to know that while troops assigned to the joint service honor guard move in concert, their journeys to the heart of the last week’s ceremony are remarkably distinct,” Conaway said. “I’m proof that on the right team, imperfect people can do great things.”
