The Role of the Honor Guard at a Military Funeral

Maybe the funeral director just asked, "Would you like military honors?" and you said yes without really knowing what that means. Who are the people in uniform? Will one be from their branch? Do we pay them? What do we do when they hand us the flag?

My husband was a Navy veteran. I know what it's like to want everything about a goodbye to be right, and to have no idea who to ask.

So here is what I'd want you to know about the honor guard: who they are, what they'll do, and what you can ask for. You don't have to remember all of it. Your funeral director will guide you on the day.

Jump to: Who they are · What they do · At the graveside · Arranging it · Thanking them · Honor at the bedside · Taking care of you

Who the Honor Guard Are

Serving members of the military. By law, at least two people in the honor guard must be uniformed, currently serving members of the military. They may be active duty, National Guard or Reserve.

One of them is from your veteran's branch. Under Defense Department policy, at least one member comes from the branch your person served in, and that member is the one who presents the flag to your family.

Often, local veterans too. Veterans groups, such as American Legion and VFW posts, often join the military team. Many have trained with the military through a Defense Department program so they can add things the two-person team can't always provide, like a rifle volley, a bugler or pallbearers. Most are volunteers, and many are older veterans themselves.

People who take it to heart. On many bases, honor guard members have other military jobs and serve on the honor guard for a few months at a time. Some teams practice for many hours a week to get each movement right. Honor guard members often say they know they may be the last contact a family ever has with the military, and they want it to be right.

What the Honor Guard Does

The part every eligible veteran receives. At a minimum, the honor guard folds the flag, presents it to your family and plays Taps. If there's no live bugler, the law allows a recording, often played on a ceremonial bugle. For more, see Taps at a Military Funeral.

Everything else depends on who's available. A rifle volley, a color guard or uniformed pallbearers depend on eligibility, available people and approval. Military policy often saves a full honors team, with pallbearers and a firing party, for retirees, people who died while serving and Medal of Honor recipients.

Veterans groups often fill the gaps. In many towns, a local veterans honor guard brings the rifle team and bugler while military members fold and present the flag. Some volunteer teams do even more, like escorting the family, offering a prayer or giving the family a keepsake.

The shell casings. After a volley, the leader of a volunteer rifle team may pick up three spent casings and give them to the person who received the flag. Not every team does this. For what they can mean, see The Meaning Behind Military Funeral Traditions.

What You'll See at the Graveside

Usually at the graveside. Military honor guards often do their part at the graveside rather than inside the funeral home or church. If you'd like them at the service too, ask your funeral director to request it early.

A quiet, practiced order. The honor guard usually arrives before the family and waits in place. After the committal service, if there's a rifle team, the volley comes first, then Taps. Then they fold the flag, present it, salute, and march away.

The volley is loud and sudden. If children are coming, tell them ahead of time. Anyone startled by loud noises, including other veterans, may want to stand a little farther back.

Who receives the flag. The flag goes to the next of kin, or to someone close the family chooses. If more than one person hopes to receive it, talk it through ahead of time and tell your funeral director. The Flag at a Military Funeral explains who comes first and what to do in blended families.

With an urn, the honors are much the same as with a casket. For a full walk-through, see Step-by-Step: What Happens at a Military Funeral.

If veterans present the flag, the words may be different. Military members use standard Defense Department words, "on behalf of the President of the United States" and a grateful nation. If no serving member can be there and a veterans group presents the flag instead, they may use their own wording. Both are honoring your person in the same way.

Arranging the Honor Guard

Ask your funeral director. They contact the military funeral honors coordinator for you. Try to give at least 48 hours' notice so a team can be put together.

Have the DD-214 ready. The honor guard needs proof of honorable service, usually the DD-214 or another discharge paper. If you can't find it, you can request military records from the National Archives. Your funeral director can often help. For who qualifies, see Military Funeral Honors: Who Qualifies and How to Arrange Them.

No funeral director, or one who hasn't arranged honors before? You can call your veteran's branch directly. Phone numbers are in the Military Funeral Honors Directory. A small or new funeral home can find the steps in Military OneSource's guide for funeral directors, or call Military OneSource at 800-342-9647. This also works if you're holding your person's ashes and planning a burial later.

Honors are given once. The military provides funeral honors one time for each veteran. If there will be a funeral now and a burial later, decide together where the honors will mean the most.

Ask about extras early. If you hope for a rifle volley or a live bugler, ask your funeral director to check with local veterans groups as well as the military. Earlier asks have a better chance.

If the honor guard doesn't come, tell your funeral director as soon as you can. Under Defense Department policy, the branch will reschedule honors for a missed funeral when the family asks.

Thanking the Honor Guard

A word or a hug is welcome. Honor guard members describe families coming up afterward to thank them, and some teams keep thank-you letters on a board for years. If you have the strength, a few words after the ceremony or a card sent later means more to them than you might think.

There's nothing to pay. Military funeral honors are free. Volunteer honor guards often buy their own uniforms, and any help from the military is usually a small stipend at most. If you'd like to do more, you could make a donation to the post or group that served your family. It's never expected.

Before the Funeral: Honor at the Bedside

If your veteran is still with you, in hospice or nearing the end, many hospices hold a pinning or thank-you ceremony at the bedside, often led by a veteran volunteer, and some local veterans honor guards do this too. Ask your hospice team or a local veterans post. You can also hold a simple one yourself with our free Honoring Ceremony for a Veteran, with a script, words for every branch and a certificate to print.

Taking Care of You

You don't have to do anything right for the honor guard. They've trained so you won't have to. If the folded flag is placed in your hands and all you can do is hold it, that is enough.

When You're Ready for the Program

Many families thank the honor guard in the program with a simple line, like "Military honors provided by the U.S. Navy Honor Guard and American Legion Post 00." Our free Military Honors at the Service page has wording you can copy right in. Our Military & Patriotic templates have room for their branch and years of service, and you can edit them in Canva.

More Help

• Military Honors When the Burial Is Later, Far Away, or Not at All
• Step-by-Step: What Happens at a Military Funeral
• Military Funeral Honors: Who Qualifies and How to Arrange Them
• The Flag at a Military Funeral: What It Means and What to Expect
• Taps at a Military Funeral: What It Means and What to Expect
• The Meaning Behind Military Funeral Traditions
• Personalizing a Military Funeral While Honoring Tradition

Please note: This is general information, not legal or benefits advice. What the honor guard provides varies by branch, location and who is available. For your family's situation, please check with your funeral director, the cemetery, the VA (800-827-1000), or an accredited Veterans Service Officer. Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1; text 838255; or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net. In an emergency, call 911.

With care,
C. Lindorfer, Noted & Charmed