The reason why U.S. honor guards stood still when their comrade fainted in front of Obama.

Members of the U.S. Army Honor Guard must strictly adhere to the rules and orders of their commanders, even when a comrade is unconscious beside them.

A soldier from the U.S. Army Honor Guard suddenly fainted and collapsed to the floor in front of U.S. President Barack Obama while he was speaking at a farewell ceremony for the armed forces at Myer-Henderson Air Force Base in Arlington, Virginia, on January 4th.

Members of the US honor guard fainted during Obama's farewell ceremony. Photo: AFP

After images of the soldier lying unconscious on the floor, still clutching his rifle, were posted online, many questioned why the other members of the honor guard remained standing at attention, facing the President, without offering any assistance or support to their comrade who was face down on the ground.

However, Major Russel Fox, a commanding officer in the U.S. Honor Guard, asserted that the Honor Guard members at President Obama's farewell ceremony did not abandon their unconscious comrade; they simply strictly followed the procedures and principles established during their training, according to TMZ.

According to Major Fox, becoming a member of the U.S. Army Honor Guard is not easy; they must undergo rigorous training to be able to stand still like statues for hours on end and only perform actions on the orders of their commander.

Ceremonies like Obama's farewell ceremony often last for hours, with the honor guard assembling beforehand to greet the President and standing at attention throughout his speech and review of their ranks. During this time, the honor guard must stand straight, feet together in a V-shape at a 45-degree angle, hands gripping the bayonet of their rifle.

Maintaining such a standing posture for extended periods causes blood to pool in the legs, leading to numbness and fatigue. Soldiers may experience dizziness due to insufficient blood flow to the brain or knee joint stiffness. Those who have not undergone extensive training are more likely to collapse and faint.

"When you stand at attention for a long time, blood doesn't flow to the brain. However, you won't faint if you try to stay alert and focused. I do that by doing addition in my head," said Major Dai Bevan, commander of the Royal Guard of Honor.

TMZ reported that the soldier who fainted during Obama's farewell ceremony was a new member of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the unit responsible for escorting the President and representing other branches of the military at the ceremony.

Major Fox said he was unsure why the soldier had fainted, possibly due to dehydration, overheating, or a locked knee, but he believed he had followed the unit's "honorable fainting" protocol.

The honor guard of the U.S. military and many other countries around the world always uphold two unwavering principles. First, they must always fight to the best of their ability to avoid fainting while standing in formation, but if they know they cannot stand, the honor guard must "faint in the correct posture," which means falling face down straight to the ground, never bending their knees or letting go of their rifle.

"You have to faint in the correct, rigid posture," Major Bevan said. "Of course, you have to accept the risk of breaking your nose or losing several teeth while falling face down on the ground like that."

The second principle of honor guards is that if a comrade next to them faints, they must maintain their standing at attention in their formation and are not allowed to intervene without orders. In all ceremonies like this, the unit commander always has contingency plans to assist the fainted soldier and bring in a replacement.

In some cases, if two soldiers standing next to a comrade notice they are in danger of fainting, they can use their shoulders to "cushion" him, helping him stand upright and regain consciousness so he can continue his mission.

According to Major Fox, the photos posted online don't fully reflect what happened after the soldier fainted. While the ceremony continued as normal with the honor guard standing still, reserve officers at the back of the formation would step forward and escort the unconscious soldier to the rear for medical attention, as per their training, and then assign someone to fill his place.

Immediately after these photos were taken, medical personnel checked the health of the unconscious soldier, and he recovered quickly. Fox said the 3rd Regiment sent additional training for him to prevent a recurrence of this incident.

According to VNE