My 82-year old father and Navy veteran of WW II received a top notch military funeral yesterday [View All]

[NNN0LHI]

It was really touching and it made my mother proud. Two sailors and a marine were there and they really did a great job. It was cold as heck, (I was shaking like a leaf), but they did their duty as if it were summer. I was really impressed with the ceremony.

Don

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_funeral

In the United States, the Department of Defense (DOD) is responsible for providing military funeral honors. "Honoring Those Who Served" is the title of the DOD program for providing dignified military funeral honors to veterans.

As of January 1, 2000, Section 578 of Public Law 106-65 of the National Defense Authorization Act mandates that the U.S. military must provide the rendering of U.S. 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 armed 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 U.S. military services often cannot provide one. The law allows Reserve and National Guard units to help with funeral honors duty.

Generally, the law allows for military funeral benefits for all veterans who were discharged under circumstances "other than dishonorable." Funeral directors will require the veteran's DD Form 214 to establish eligibility.