The expertly folded American Flag held by strong white-gloved hands, the powerful melody from the bugle in the distance signifies the loss of a loved one, a beacon of honor to those who have sacrificed for their country. It is a time of remembrance and grieving for a fallen warrior. Each military branch has a specialized office to support and guide the family in providing Military Funeral Honors for their deceased veterans who meet the minimum requirements.
           Each veteran who is eligible to receive Funeral Honors is required to receive the folding and presentation of the American Flag and the playing of taps. The teams must be a total of two to three servicemembers, but a full Honors Team may be requested, if not guaranteed. The flag must be provided by the requester, which can be obtained through the post office or through the Veterans Affairs office.
           Eligibility
           Every member who served within the military is eligible for Funeral Honors under the following conditions. They must have served either on active duty or the reserves and must have been discharged under other than dishonorable conditions (those conditions are considered Honorable Discharge, General Under Honorable Conditions). The former military member must have completed at least one full term of service unless a disability occurred during the line of duty. If you are unsure about the type of discharge, the Funeral Honors team will be able to discern eligibility on the form submitted.
           Non-Eligibility
Veterans who were separated under dishonorable conditions are not eligible for Military Funeral services. If the member served honorably but was tried and convicted of a state or capitol crime that would dishonor their service, they are considered ineligible for Honors.
           Required Documentation
           Each service member who has completed their service receives documentation to show their honorable service. The documents that can be used are a Certificate of Discharge or a DD Form 214. If neither of those documents can be located, then the Department of Veterans Affairs may be able to provide a letter stating the type of discharge the veteran received. These documents if lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair can be obtained through the National Archives, Veterans Association’s like the VA, American Legion Posts, Veteran of Foreign Wars Post, or what is called DEERS (the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System). In some cases, the Funeral Honor’s office may be able to help obtain proof of discharge, but it is not guaranteed.
            Required Information
           The teams who schedule services for veterans will not only need proper documentation to support honorable discharge but must have information on the veteran and funeral or memorial services. The point of contact, whether it is the Funeral Home Director, next of kin, family member, or friend must have the following information at hand. Name, social security number, date of birth, date of death, next-of-kin name and contact information, and if possible last known rank of the veteran. They will also need information about the services such as, date, time, type of service (casket, urn, or memorial), and location of where the honors are to be performed.
           Contacting the Funeral Honors Office
           Most of the branches can be contacted via an online form on their website, phone number, or email. The only branch that has a single contact number for the nation is the Marine Corps. To contact the other branches via phone, you can go to the Military OneSource website. They have a downloadable directory to locate specified areas of cover. Below is the list of branches websites or phone numbers to schedule:
·     USMC- United States Marine Corps
o  866-826-3628
·     USN- United States Navy
·     USA- United States Army
·     USCG- United States Coast Guard
·     USAF/USSF – United States Air Force / United States Space Force
Additional Resources
The links below are to easily navigate to the National Archive, VA flag form, and Military OneSource.
·     http://www.archives.gov/veterans
·     https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Portals/10/DOL/BaseBoston/MFH%20-%20Flag%20Request.pdf?ver=2017-03-30-133802-290
Providing the men and women who schedule Honors with the information needed about the deceased and service, will not only expedite the approval process, but ensure you have one less thing to worry about during the process of arranging your loved one’s funeral. Though the specifics required to schedule Honors for deceased veterans can seem overwhelming, hopefully this guide will simplify the process of honoring those warriors with the Red, White, and Blue they have given all their blood, sweat, and tears to.