If there’s one firm fact about military service, it is that you will eventually get out. Whether you retire or simply leave after a certain amount of time is, for the most part, your decision. The majority of service members actually do just that: they get out when their first contract is over.
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Every veteran’s separation story is different. Many leave with education benefits, and some go with disability benefits. Some simply return to civilian life with the unique experience they had while serving. No matter the reason they leave the military, every service member who receives an honorable discharge is eligible to receive military funeral honors from an active military honor guard team.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to render military funeral honors, let me say this: it’s one of the best experiences you will ever have in the military. While attending a funeral may not sound like a fun time (and realistically, it’s not), it’s incredibly rewarding. As a member of an Honor Guard team, you’re granted the opportunity to honor the history and heritage of your respective branch by honoring a veteran.
If you’ve never seen a flag fold ceremony, or even a full honors ceremony, in person, it’s a rare and special experience. Here’s why I think serving in the Honor Guard is the best experience I’ve had.
Honoring History
At We Are The Mighty, we strive to uncover and share the incredible stories that have unfolded over the 250-plus years this country has been in existence. In the military, we do our best never to forget our heritage and honor those who came before us by bringing honor to our respective branches.
The Honor Guard connects you to your branch’s history in a very direct way. History books really only provide broad strokes, and you really have to search to find the finer details. But when you’re rendering honors for a veteran who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, or even during peacetime, you get to pay personal respects to that specific veteran and their service.
It Represents Selfless Service
When you’re a part of the Honor Guard, it sometimes means traveling far, out-of-the-way places, during obscure times to be able to complete the mission. It requires a bit more personal sacrifice than most people may be willing to endure. But at the end of the day, these sacrifices are necessary and important.
The gratitude the family often expresses when you’re there is worth it, and it shows that your respective branch of service has not forgotten its veterans. Sure, maybe it’s inconvenient, but it’s a small price to pay to show respect.
It’s Rewarding
While that veteran you’re honoring may have believed their story ended when their contract expired, providing honors is the true end. We show that they were not forgotten by history or time, and, in a way, we’re there for them at the end of their story.
It’s a solemn duty. It can be emotionally taxing, but families are almost always grateful to have you there. You may sometimes leave with a copy of the funeral program that tells the veteran’s life story. It offers incredible insight into who they were, what they enjoyed, and what they did in the military. You get a story about a veteran that no one else gets, and you provide a service to their family.
It’s truly the most rewarding thing you can do, and one of the few direct services the military provides to the public.
While most of the military experience can be defined by monotony and high stress, the Honor Guard breaks up that monotony and gives you the chance to do something you can look back on with incredible pride. Even if you’re “voluntold” to be assigned to a funeral detail, you’ll quickly find how deeply rewarding it is.
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