Providing military funeral honors is the nation's way of showing gratitude and paying final
tribute to a veteran’s honorable military service to the United States of America.
Upon request, the Department of Defense will provide military funeral honors to eligible
veterans in accordance with law and long-standing tradition.
The Department of Defense provides this service free of charge, as your veteran has earned
his or her tribute through their honorable service and sacrifice to our country.
On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Army and a grateful Nation,
please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one’s honorable
and faithful service. A veteran, or a person who has been granted
veteran status, is eligible to receive military funeral honors if he or she:
Served at least one day of active service for other than training and was discharged
or released from that service by means of an honorable or under honorable conditions,
Died while on active duty with honorable service, or
Was a member or former member of the Selected Reserve with honorable service
Individuals who have at any time been discharged or released from military service with any
of the following characterizations or circumstances will be considered to have been discharged
or released under dishonorable conditions, and military funeral honors will not be provided:
A dishonorable discharge, A bad conduct discharge,
A dismissal from the service by court-martial, Any other-than-honorable conditions discharge
or separation, A resignation or retirement in lieu of court
martial, or A clemency discharge
Any person who has been convicted of a capital crime, committed actions that bring discredit
to military service or who is no longer in good standing with the service is also ineligible
for military funeral honors. A family member of an eligible veteran may
request military funeral honors, or the funeral director or the decedent’s personal representative
making burial arrangements can make the request. The person arranging for the funeral honors
can use the online directory on Military OneSource to connect with the appropriate military service
to arrange or the funeral honors detail. In order to determine eligibility for military
funeral honors, it is necessary to provide the veteran’s discharge certificate.
The most common discharge certificate is called the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or
Discharge from Active Duty. The DD Form 214 is a complete and thorough document that verifies
a service member’s military service. For questions about what documents are acceptable,
contact the appropriate service coordinator. If the family does not have a copy of the
discharge document, they need to complete a Request for Military Records for Veterans
Burial/Funeral Benefits. Complete the form. The family should complete
the form and include a copy of proof of death. Proof of death can be a copy of a death certificate,
veteran’s obituary or a signed statement by the funeral director stating the veteran
is deceased. It is important that the veteran’s next
of kin signs the form and documents his or her relationship to the veteran, as the National
Archives will not process the request without a signature. The family member making the
request needs to provide as much information about the veteran as possible, such as his
or her full name, including middle name or middle initial, and place of birth to help
locate the veteran’s records. The request should be faxed or mailed to the National
Personnel Record Center. For expedited services, they should include
a fax number to where the records center can fax a copy of the discharge paper. For those
veterans with no next of kin, the person making the request needs to indicate on the form
that there is no known next of kin. Upon receipt, the National Archives will contact
the veteran’s branch of service to obtain permission to release the documents for burial
purposes. On the day of the funeral, the family can
expect the service to provide a minimum of a two-person uniform detail to conduct military
funeral honors. The detail will provide a rendition of Taps and fold and present the
flag of the United States. The opening and closing of the grave and perpetual
care is provided at any cemetery administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the
Department of Defense, or the Department of Interior.
The Department of Veterans Affairs provides a government headstone, marker or medallion,
a burial flag and Presidential Memorial Certificates regardless of where the veteran is buried.
The Department of Defense provides the same honors for cremated remains placed in an urn
as casketed remains. All of these services are provided at no cost to the family. The
Department of Defense recognizes the valuable role veteran organizations play in honoring
veterans. As such, Veterans Service Organizations and other approved organizations may participate
with the military services in providing military funeral honors.
If consulting with a funeral service coordinator, the family should state which veteran’s
organization they wish to have participate and the funeral provider will work with the
service and organization to make the necessary arrangements.
For more information about military funeral honors, you can go to Military OneSource.
We are here to help. Military OneSource offers information, resources and non-medical counseling
to meet the needs of military family members who have experienced the death of a loved
one. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by telephone or internet.
Call 800-342-9647. Click militaryonesource.mil. Connect 24/7.