Honoring Veterans
We're proud to do our part in honoring our country's veterans. Our duty is to provide you and your family with professional and dignified assistance during your time of need, and we promise to support you in honoring your loved one for their dedication and selfless service.
What a Veteran Funeral Consists Of
Eligible veterans can receive military funeral honors free of charge. Their eligibility will be determined by their DD-214 or discharge papers.
The following qualify for military funeral honors:
- Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve.
- Former military members who served on active duty and departed under honorable conditions.
- Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve and departed under honorable conditions.
- Former military members discharged from the Selected Reserve due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.
How They Are Honored
Depending on your loved one’s eligibility, they can receive a variety of veteran burial benefits and veteran death benefits. At a military funeral of an eligible veteran, they are entitled to the folding and presenting of the American flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps by a bugler or recording. An honor guard detail that includes at least two members of the Armed Forces performs these specific honors. One of the members needs to be a representative from the military branch the veteran served in. This will be the person who presents the flag at the service.
Additional honors at a military funeral include:
- A three-volley rifle salute to represent duty, honor, and country
- The U.S. flag draped over the casket
- A final salute at the gravesite
Military Honors Services
Traditional elements and honors can include the following:
- Folding and presentation of the burial flag to the next of kin
- The playing of TAPS
- A three volley rifle solute (Veterans who have retired or who have passed while serving)
Optional Items
- A military Chaplain for family members
- A bagpiper
- Patriot Guard/Legion Riders
Veteran Death Benefits
We can help you communicate with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to arrange for:
- A Presidential Memorial Certificate. This is a certificate expressing the nation's recognition of the veteran's service. The veteran's name is inscribed and the certificate bears the signature of the President. Certificates are issued in the name of deceased honorably discharged veterans. Contact us for assistance in applying for a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and we would be happy to guide you through the process.
- Headstones or markers. The VA provides headstones and markers for the graves of veterans anywhere in the world and for eligible dependents of veterans buried in national, state, or military cemeteries.
- Memorial plots. If an eligible veteran's remains are not available for burial, the VA will provide a plot and headstone or marker in a national cemetery for memorialization. If you wish to place the memorial in a cemetery other than a national cemetery, the VA will provide the headstone or marker but not the plot itself.
- Burial in a VA National Cemetery. This includes the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a grave box, and perpetual care.
- Reimbursement of burial expenses. For information on eligibility and the different levels of potential reimbursement, please review their Guide to VA Burial Allowances.
Additional Resources
For more information about military funerals, please visit the following links:
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — Click on the Burials & Memorials heading.
- Veterans' Funeral and Burial Benefits — Helpful information from Funeral Consumers Alliance.
- Honoring Those Who Served — An explanation of the various types of honors available for military funerals.
