A military funeral in the United States is a memorial or burial rite conducted by the United States Armed Forces for a Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airman, Guardian or Coast Guardsman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or a president. A military funeral may feature guards of honor, the firing of volley shots as a salute, drumming and other military elements, with a flag draping over the coffin.
In the United States, the United States Army Military District of Washington (MDW) is responsible for providing military funerals. "Honoring Those Who Served" is the title of the program for instituting a dignified military funeral with full honors to the nation's veterans.
As of January 1, 2000, Section 578 of Public Law 106-65 of the National Defense Authorization Act mandates that the United States Armed Forces shall provide the rendering of honors in a military funeral for any eligible veteran if requested by his or her family. As mandated by federal law, an honor guard detail for the burial of an eligible veteran shall consist of no fewer 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 guard detail will, at a minimum, perform a ceremony that includes the folding and presenting of the flag of the United States to the next of kin and the sounding of Taps which will be played by a lone bugler, if available, or by audio recording. Today, there are so few buglers available that the United States Armed Forces often cannot provide one. [1] However, federal law allows Reserve and National Guard units to assist with funeral honors duty when necessary.
Generally, federal law allows for military funeral honors for all veterans who were discharged under circumstances "other than dishonorable." Funeral directors will require the veteran's DD Form 214 to establish eligibility. [2]
Those who are eligible for military funerals and full honors in the United States include the following: [3]
In the United States, there are several types of military funerals such as those performed at Arlington National Cemetery, which include and omit certain components depending on the status of the deceased (active, retired, veteran, rank/occupation). [4]
Standard honor military funerals include the following:
Full honor military funerals include all standard honors in addition to the following:
Armed forces military funerals include all standard and full honors in addition to the following:
When a spouse or other dependent of a current or former member of the United States Armed Forces is buried, the military service in which the primary party served will provide a casket team and a chaplain. No other military honors will be rendered unless the spouse served in the military.
The flag of the United States draped over the casket is meticulously folded thirteen times by a total of six honor guards, three on each side of the casket. When the flag is completely folded, the stars point upwards, which remind Americans of their national motto, In God We Trust . [5] [6] [ self-published source ] [7] After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a tricorne hat, reminding Americans of the soldiers who served under General George Washington, and the sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the United States Armed Forces. [5] [6] [7]
An honor guard composed of one or more branches of the United States Armed Forces, presents the flag to the next of kin. The presenter, a member of the same service as the deceased, will lean forward [8] while presenting the folded flag, with the straight edge of the flag facing the recipient. The presenter then recites the following wording, which was standardized on April 20, 2012: [9]
On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force or Coast Guard), and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service.
Three spent shell-casings, each representing one of three volleys, were sometimes slipped into the folds of the flag before its presentation to the next of kin. The intention was to convey that the presence of the shell-casings proved that a rifle volley had taken place in connection with the member's funeral. [10] [11] However, this practice has become infrequent and is rarely seen today as Title 4, Section 8(h) of the United States Code specifies that the flag should not be used as a receptacle for holding anything. [12]
A "ramp ceremony" is a memorial ceremony, not an actual funeral, for a soldier killed in a war zone held at an airfield near or in a location where an airplane is waiting nearby to take the deceased's remains to his or her home country. The term has been in use since at least 2003 [13] and became common during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. [14]
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a historic funerary monument dedicated to deceased U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, United States. The World War I "Unknown" is a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the Victoria Cross, and several other foreign nations' highest service awards. The U.S. Unknowns who were interred are also recipients of the Medal of Honor, presented by U.S. presidents who presided over their funerals. The tomb is watched over by a military sentinel, with a regular changing of the guard ceremony taking place at the tomb. The monument has no officially designated name.
"Taps" is a bugle call sounded to signal "lights out" at the end of a military day, and during patriotic memorial ceremonies and military funerals conducted by the United States Armed Forces. The official military version is played by a single bugle or trumpet, although other versions of the tune may be played in other contexts. It is also performed often at Girl Guide, Girl Scout, and Boy Scout meetings and camps. The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfield's Lullaby", or by the first line of the lyric, "Day Is Done". The duration may vary to some extent.
A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards of honor, the firing of volley shots as a salute, drumming and other military elements, with a flag draping over the coffin.
A riderless horse is a single horse without a rider and with boots reversed in the stirrups, which sometimes accompanies a funeral procession. The horse, sometimes caparisoned in black, follows the caisson carrying the casket. A riderless horse can also be featured in parades to symbolize either fallen soldiers, fallen police officers or deceased equestrian athletes. A motorcycle can be used as a substitute for a horse though such practice is very rare.
A gun salute or cannon salute is the use of a piece of artillery to fire shots, often 21 in number, with the aim of marking an honor or celebrating a joyful event. It is a tradition in many countries around the world.
The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the United States. Today, the Marine Band includes the Marine Chamber Orchestra and Marine Chamber Ensembles.
Military rites are honors presented at a funeral for a member of a military or police force. These rites, which are performed (usually) at the burial, include the firing of rifles, presenting of a flag and or bugle calls. In Australia and New Zealand a Poppy Service is often held for members of the Armed Forces. This includes a short reading by a member of the Returned Services League of Australia or, in New Zealand, the Returned Services Association, the laying of red poppies on the coffin by all present, the playing of the Last Post, Reveille, and recitation of the Ode of Remembrance.
The DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, generally referred to as a "DD 214", is a document of the United States Department of Defense, issued upon a military service member's retirement, separation, or discharge from active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States.
The United States Air Force Honor Guard is the official ceremonial unit of the United States Air Force and is assigned to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C.
The three-volley salute is a ceremonial act performed at military funerals and sometimes also police funerals. The custom likely originates with Roman funeral rites. Dirt would be cast on the body three times followed, and the ceremony was ended by the deceased's name being called three times. It was then customary for the friends and relatives of the deceased to repeat the word 'vale' three times. In more recent history three volleys were fired to signify the end of a funeral and that the burial detail was to be ready for battle.
Camp Nelson National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in southern Jessamine County, Kentucky. It was originally a graveyard associated with the U.S. Army's Camp Nelson, which was active during the U.S. Civil War and its aftermath. The camp was named for Major General William "Bull" Nelson, commander of the Civil War Army of Kentucky, who was murdered by a fellow officer in 1862.
George Dilboy, , Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company H, 103rd Infantry Regiment, 26th Division is thought to be the first Greek-American to receive the Medal of Honor during World War I. He led an attack on a machine gun position and continued to fire at the enemy despite being seriously wounded, killing two of the enemy and dispersing the remainder of the gun crew. General John J. Pershing, commander of all the American forces in France during the war, listed George Dilboy as "one of the ten great heroes" who "died in the battlefield of France with super-human heroism and valor." Dilboy is buried in Section 18 of Arlington National Cemetery.
On December 26, 2006, Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States, died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California at 6:45 p.m. local time. At 8:49 p.m. local time, his wife of 58 years, Betty Ford, issued a statement announcing his death. The causes of death listed on the death certificate were arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease and diffuse arteriosclerosis.
In the United States, state funerals are the official funerary rites conducted by the federal government in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., that are offered to a sitting or former president, a president-elect, high government officials and other civilians who have rendered distinguished service to the nation. Administered by the Military District of Washington (MDW), a command unit of the Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region, state funerals are greatly influenced by protocol, steeped in tradition, and rich in history. However, the overall planning as well as the decision to hold a state funeral, is largely determined by a president and their family.
The Victims of Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon Memorial is a memorial over a group burial site at Arlington National Cemetery in the United States. It commemorates the victims of the attack on the Pentagon, which was struck by a Boeing 757 commercial airliner hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001, killing 184 people. The memorial specifically honors the five individuals for whom no identifiable remains were found. However, a portion of the remains of 25 other victims are buried at the site. The names of the 115 Pentagon employees and 10 contractors in the building, as well as the 53 passengers and six crew members aboard American Airlines Flight 77 are inscribed on the memorial.
United States military music customs are the traditional, regulatory, and statutory provisions that guide performances by United States military bands during drill and ceremony and state occasions.
Miramar National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in San Diego, California. It is located in the northwest corner of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on the grounds of old Camp Kearny (1917) and Camp Elliott (1942). The cemetery is considered an auxiliary of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery and is administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Presidential Salute Battery, an element of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment, comprises soldiers qualified as MOS 11C (Mortarman). This battery primarily handles firing ceremonial gun-salute honors at general officer funerals, retirements, state occasions, and provides indirect fire support for the regiment's tactical operations.
The royal cremation ceremony is the final and most major event during Thai royal funerals.
The District of Columbia Army National GuardHonor Guard is the Army National Guard's official Honor Guard program for the District of Columbia. The mission of the DCARNG Honor Guard is to provide military funeral honors (MFH) to qualifying veterans and participate in ceremonial and special events. Based on the mission and support needed, selected members of the Air National Guard's Honor Guard program are required to work jointly with the DCARNG to support missions that fall under the DCNG as a whole. The DCARNG Honor Guard program is assigned to the District of Columbia National Guard (DCNG) Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) Command.
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