14-4. Military funerals have been an Army requirement for quite some time, and rightfully so. Military members have honorably served their country and have perished in the defense of the Nation, or later on in life. The service and commitment to the country and their sacrifices are acknowledged by dedicating resources and personnel to assist in the funeral or graveside ceremony and provide burial honors. Soldiers on active duty status, retirees, and Medal of Honor recipients receive a highly trained and dedicated nine-person detail to provide burial support and honors. Veterans receive a minimum of a two military personnel detail to fold and present a folded American flag to the next of kin (NOK), and a bugler to play “Taps” at the gravesite ceremony. Special circumstances may require a special full honor detail with more dedicated resources and personnel.
14-5. Every funeral service is going to be different and the funeral honor team’s requirement are going to continually change with each funeral. The funeral director, the family or person authorized to direct disposition of human remains (PADD), the casualty assistance officer (known as CAO), and the chaplain or clergy are all going to coordinate the funeral ceremony for a fallen Soldier and family member and they are all going to have certain requests. The full honor detail requires the team to salute the fallen upon arrival, carry the casket or urn to the gravesite, have the chaplain participate in final words and remarks, salute the fallen once again, fire three-round volley, play “Taps,” fold flag, and present flag to NOK. The two-person detail will, at a minimum, salute the fallen upon entering the gravesite or final resting place, play “Taps,” fold and then present Color to NOK or PADD.
Note. The acronym NCOIC is used when discussing the role for the noncommissioned officer in charge of the funeral honor team. Sometimes that role will be filled by an officer in charge (OIC), but for simplicity and clarity we will use the term NCOIC throughout this chapter.
14-6. Funeral detail NCOICs will develop their own unit funeral detail standard operating procedures (SOPs) meeting the minimum Soldier requirements, and then be certified by their unit CSM. The detail NCOIC will train their team to conduct all aspects of the funeral team’s functions flawlessly. Every gravesite is going to be different just like every chapel, but it is the fundamentals that the honor team must get right. Each separate detail team (pallbearers, firing team, bugler, flag folders, and NCOIC) must know the procedures and conduct them as accurately and flawlessly as possible. The firing party must move as one, fire as one, stack weapons with everyone being in sync with one another. The flag must be folded and presented perfectly. The presenter must memorize and rehearse their tasks until it becomes second nature to them. The goal of the funeral honor team is to provide military burial honors as prestigiously and gracefully as possible.
14-7. The firing detail will be between five and eight personnel with one of the detail members giving commands and acting as the firing party NCOIC. If the unit SOP establishes five firers for each funeral team with one NCOIC, then there are six people for pallbearer duties if a separate detail is not provided. The funeral detail NCOIC must be the one to determine the best way to provide gravesite honors and then rehearse and practice their functions until it becomes muscle memory.
Individual Responsibilities
14-8. The Casualty Assistance Center (known as CAC) coordinates burial honors, for deceased Army personnel, including active duty and retired personnel as well as eligible RCs and veterans when requested by the family. Active duty Soldiers and retirees will receive burial with full military funeral honors, provided by a nine-person funeral detail as described in paragraph 14-20. Eligible members of the RC and veterans will also receive funeral honors from a two-person detail. Medal of Honor recipients are entitled to full military funeral honors, regardless of status.
14-9. The command or activity responsible for providing military funeral honors will ensure there is an active search for a bugler (see AR 600-25). A live bugler is preferred for all active duty and veteran funeral services; every effort must be made to obtain a live bugler to play “Taps” (see AR 600-25). However, if a live bugler is unavailable “Taps” may be played on a ceremonial bugle which is a suitable electronic device. Electronic devices are only used as a last resort. For assistance searching for a live bugler visit the U.S. Army Bands website. The family of the deceased (or its representative) may request another clergyman to officiate in lieu of a military chaplain. A civilian clergyman can conduct all religious elements of a military funeral or interment. More information about religious support to funerals and memorial events can be found in ATP 1-05.02.
14-10. The desires of the family are given the fullest consideration possible in the selection of elements involved, but the funeral is conducted as prescribed in this manual. For further information, consult AR 600-25, chapter 7. The responsibilities of the individuals involved in a military funeral are as follows:
- The CAC—
- Receives requests for funeral details and controls funeral operations within their area of responsibility.
- Coordinates funeral details with funeral directors and funeral planners.
- Issues funeral ceremonial flag that will be presented to designated family members.
- Controls a post duty roster for funeral honor team requests.
- Issues orders to funeral honor teams to use for travel, transportation, and lodging requests.
- Briefs funeral honors NCOIC.
- Requests bugler support for funeral honor teams.
- Confirms criteria requirements met for burial honors.
- Funeral detail NCOIC or OIC. Funeral detail NCOICs—
- Provide their name and contact information and the bugler pick-up time to the CAC after notification of funeral detail.
- Train their team to perform military burial honors flawlessly.
- Inspect burial honor team’s uniform.
- Request and issue white gloves to be worn during the ceremony.
- Request transportation for the funeral detail through the transportation division.
- Coordinate specifics with the funeral home, clergy, and chapel concerned.
- Coordinate the use of a portable compact disc (CD) player for playing “Taps,” if needed.
- Ensure all personnel participating in the funeral detail arrive at the designated place in sufficient time to make final coordination.
- Conduct a reconnaissance of the chapel, cemetery, and gravesite location.
- Conduct at least one full dress rehearsal at the burial site, prior to the arrival of all funeral attendees.
- Conduct link up with the CAO to confirm the issue and receiving of the burial flag.
- Understand exactly what the family wants the military to provide during the funeral (pallbearers, chaplain, and flag presentation to which family members).
- Will conduct the final inspection of the burial flag, and issue it to NOK.
- Is overall responsible for each team member’s performance while they conduct burial honors.
- The CAO—
- Coordinates the ceremonial aspects of the funeral with the PADD.
- Advises and assists the PADD of the deceased Service member in funeral arrangements.
- Conducts link up with the funeral NCOIC prior to the funeral service.
- Ensures the military honor team arrives at the proper location and conducts military burial honors appropriately.
- Identifies the primary NOK of the deceased for the NCOIC for flag presentation.
- Memorizes condolence remarks if they choose to assist the NCOIC for flag presentation.
- Records military burial honor team’s performance and signs the funeral honor detail’s paperwork along with the funeral director (if required).
- Ensures the chaplain receives a flag from the installation CAC, funeral director, or local post office.
- Prepares to brief family dynamics, funeral specifics, and special requests to the general officer in attendance during a theater-related death.
- Accompanies family to the funeral service.
- Commanding officer. The commanding officer or their representative, in coordination with the PADD, cemetery superintendent, and the funeral director makes the funeral arrangements and supervises the conduct of the funeral.
Personal Conduct
14-11. When honorary pallbearers are desired, they are selected by the family of the deceased, or its representative, or by the commanding officer if the family wishes. As a rule, no more than 12 honorary pallbearers should be selected.
14-12. At a military funeral, persons in military uniform attending in their individual capacity face the casket and execute the Hand Salute at the following times: when honors, if any, are sounded; at any time the casket is being moved as seen in figure 14-1 (unless the uniformed persons are walking); during cannon salutes, if sounded; during the firing of volleys; and while “Taps” is being played:
- Honorary pallbearers in uniform conform to those instructions when not in motion.
- Military personnel in civilian clothes in the above cases, and during the service at the grave, stand at Attention, uncover, and hold the headdress over the left shoulder with the right hand over the heart. If no headdress is worn, the right hand is held over the heart.
14-13. During the religious graveside service, all personnel bow their heads at the words “Let us pray” for acknowledgment of religious activities. Those choosing to pray could pray as they choose. All mourners at graveside, except the active pallbearers, follow the example of the officiating chaplain. If the chaplain uncovers, they uncover; if the chaplain remains covered, they remain covered. When the officiating chaplain wears a biretta (clerical headpiece) during the graveside service, all personnel, as indicated above, uncover. When the officiating chaplain wears a yarmulke (Jewish skull cap), all personnel remain covered.
14-14. The remains of a member of the armed forces who died while on active duty may be consigned directly to a national cemetery from a military installation. In such cases, the cemetery superintendent will, regardless of time of arrival, if not otherwise provided for, engage a funeral director to receive the remains at the common carrier terminal, hold the remains at their establishment until the date of the funeral, if necessary, and deliver the remains to the cemetery. The superintendent will not authorize a funeral director to render any other service incident to the interment.
14-15. The word “chapel” is interpreted to include the church, home, or other place where services are held, other than the service at the grave. The word “casket” is interpreted to include the receptacle containing the cremated remains of the deceased.
Presentation of the Flag
14-16. Funeral honors ceremonies conducted by the Army will use the standardized DOD language for the presentation of the flag to the designated flag recipient. The verbiage below will be used when presenting the U.S. flag during the funeral service. The Service member presenting the flag to NOK of the eligible beneficiary will be from the parent Service branch and oversee the burial honor team.
Use when presenting the U.S. flag during the funeral service:
“On behalf of the President of the United States, (the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, or the U.S. 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.”
14-17. In some situations, there will be more than one family member to be presented the American flag during the gravesite service and the NCOIC will use the CAO or military chaplain to provide the secondary folded flag to the NCOIC for presentation. The NCOIC will coordinate with the CAO or military chaplain to move to their location, face each other, salute as mentioned later in this chapter, and then present the flag to the next individual.
Next Page : Section 3 – Types of Honors and Classes of Military Funerals