Funeral Honors

DoD maintains a Military Funeral Honors web site.

Who is eligible?

 Effective January 1, 2000, the National Defense Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-65) authorizes Military Funeral Honors to Active Duty Soldiers, Retirees and Veterans.

Under the law, at a family's request, every eligible veteran will receive military funeral honors, to include the presence of a military funeral honors detail, which will oversee folding and presenting the U.S. flag and playing "Taps," either by a high-quality recording or by a bugler. The law defines a military funeral honors detail as consisting of two or more uniformed military persons, with at least one being a member of the veteran's branch of military service.

Funeral honors can be given at any cemetery - private or government-operated. Most Funeral Directors make those arrangements with the Army Casualty Assistance Center within their region.

Eligible veterans include:

• Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve
• Former military members who served on active duty and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
• Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
• Former military members discharged from the Selected Reserve due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. Department of Defense (DoD) has provided an information kit to Funeral Directors to help them make arrangements. The same procedure for requesting military honors is followed when burial is at a national cemetery. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) staff at national cemeteries will help, when necessary, to facilitate a request to DoD for funeral honors at VA national cemeteries.