| If a family member or a friend was a veteran, the deceased veteran may qualify for funeral burial honors. Military Funeral Honors have always been provided by Department of Defense, at no cost, whenever possible. However, the law now mandates the rendering of Military Funeral Honors for an eligible veteran if requested by the family. As provided by law, an honor guard detail for the burial of an eligible veteran shall consist of not less than two members of the Armed Forces. One member of the detail shall be a representative of the parent Service of the deceased veteran. The honor detail will, at a minimum, perform a ceremony that includes the folding and presenting of the American flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps. Taps will be played by a bugler, if available, or by electronic recording. Today, there are so few buglers available that the Military Services often cannot provide one. Families of eligible veterans request funeral honors through their funeral director. The funeral director will contact the appropriate Military Service to arrange for the funeral honors detail. The core elements of the funeral honors ceremony, which will be conducted on request, include: 1. Flag folding 2. Flag presentation 3. Playing of Taps 4. The veteran’s parent Service representative will present the flag. Tip: Confirm your eligibility for burial benefits by calling a Veteran’s Counselor at 1-800-827-1000 |
