How to Request an Army Honor Guard
"Honoring Those Who Served" is the Department of Defense's program to honor those who served their country. Every eligible army veteran can be provided Military Funeral Honors. This is actually a law mandate that cannot be refused. In the Honor Guard ceremony Taps will be played and the American flag will be folded and presented to the next of kin.
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Instructions
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Find out the deceased's eligibility status. Any members of the Army on active duty or in the Army Reserves are eligible for Funeral Honors as are any former army military who served on active duty. Anyone who served one term of enlistment in the Army Reserve, or less if they were discharged due to a disability is eligible. Any person with a dishonorable discharge is not eligible for an Honor Guard. The Veterans Administration will establish eligibility.
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Consult your funeral director. Funeral directors are familiar with the steps needed for arranging Burial Honors. In fact they will usually make all the arrangements for you. Let him know at your first meeting that you would like to request an Honor Guard. It takes about 48 hours notice to get an Honor Guard.
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Request the Honor Guard locally. The funeral director will make the arrangements for the Honor Guard for you. However, if for some reason you need to request it on your own, any local veteran office can assist you. If the deceased had a local veteran's unit he was a member of, they might appreciate the privilege of performing the Honor ceremony.
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Acquire a flag. The Department of Veteran Affairs provides a flag to be draped over the casket and presented to the next of kin free of charge. Your funeral director will help you get the flag or you may go to any local veterans office or post office, fill out a flag for burial form and receive a flag there.
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Find out how much it will cost. Actually there should be no money exchanged. The Department of Defense provides the Military Honors. A funeral director should not add on any expense for this mandated right.
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Tips & Warnings
You can request a Presidential Memorial Certificate. It is a certificate that expresses the nation's recognition of the veteran's service in the Armed Forces. It will bear the name of the deceased veteran as well as the President's signature. Requests can be made for the certificate at any VA regional office.
