It's a great idea. I'm on shore duty and probably get roped into a half dozen dog and pony shows per quarter. I'm all for outsourcing these events to the reserves.
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Funeral Honors Detail
- Thread starter pascol1
- Start date
It's a great idea. I'm on shore duty and probably get roped into a half dozen dog and pony shows per quarter. I'm all for outsourcing these events to the reserves.
I may have mis-read your post... but, are you referring to rendering honors at Veterans funerals as "dog and pony shows"?
BzB
I may have mis-read your post... but, are you referring to rendering honors at Veterans funerals as "dog and pony shows"?
BzB
To take the emotion out of it, I've been sent to many "functions," which have nothing to do with my job, in a COMREL function. It sounds like there is a market out there for this kind of stuff in the reserves.
But no, I've never been forced to go to a funeral.
If you do funerals in the reserves, is there anything that say you MUST show up to drills each month if you wish to do funeral honors detail? Since I am in the IRR I see it beneficial to do the funerals. However, it does not make sense to show up to drills where I do not get paid.
vxc961
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I'm not sure I follow your question, but I'll give it a stab. If you are:
-IRR(not VTU): there is no "extra", non-paid drill requirements. You will get pay*/credit* without ever having to do GMTs or step into a NOSC, except to maybe pick up the bugle before a service.
-VTU: won't really have anything to do with funerals, and if a funeral falls on a drill weekend, you would just request an Auth absense or resked.
*expect problems and delays processing these if in the IRR, and keep your own records.
Hail_HYDRA!
One more question...
I am seriously thinking about doing this and didn't consider or think about it until I went to INDOC and a sailor suggested I do participate. Are there trainings and such I need to attend before doing this? I really would want to "get it right" is all.
You get training for it starting with practice runs at the NOSC (we had a practice coffin for the flag folding, including how to deal with common mistakes on the fly) and there's an official video too (but no NKO, thank goodness). Next, guys go along and watch from the van a couple times. After that you "play" the bugle a couple of times, posted a short ways away from the gravesite (the distance helps a lot for people who get stage fright). Then finally you are the assistant folder. The lead folder is the one presenting the flag and reciting the spiel to the recipient.
Don't take my word for it but I think you get paid a drill starting when you go along in the van to a service, since you're technically part of that detail.
The expectations are that you're always on time (your show time is something an hour before the party's scheduled time to arrive) and your dress uniforms are squared away (no old, dirty ribbons, no wrinkles, good haircut, etc.). I think there is a small uniform allowance though, but don't take my word for that either.
vxc961
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My experience was similar, but a bit different.
-the FHD coordinator (prob an E-5 at your NOSC) will provide you training at the NOSC.
-You can get ONE training/observation FHD paid for.
-after that, you will be thrown in there—probably as bugler, but many details are only two people, so one will fold and bugle.
-As an officer, you’ll be at the head fairly often (the flag will get folded to you—it’s the easier job)
-As a new officer, you’ll be trumped anytime just about any other O is there, so you’ll get lots of practice folding too.
You’re right to want to do it right. You show up 45 min or so before go-time so that you can rehearse both the movements (every venue is different) and folding the flag (often its already folded...and the wrong way!)
At least in my area it was a little bit of a good old boys club, where the FHD cord seemed to pick her favorites. The other NOSC in my area was “first to reply”, and my old NOSC CO wouldn’t let E4 or above do more than one a month. Just be prepared for possible inconsistencies there.
I ended up doing about 250 services before I retired, and it was probably the most rewarding thing I did as a reservist.
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I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before
There's training? At VX-1 we occasionally were on the hook for funeral duty. I got tagged one weekend and had to go run the detail. Luckily the Sailors on the duty had done it several times before and walked me through the process. I was terrified that I was going to screw up my lines when presenting the flagnto the family.
Anybody volunteering for funeral honor duty for this one?
The US Air Force will provide military funeral honors for Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran and pro-Donald Trump rioter who was shot and killed on January 6, 2021 after breaching a sensitive area of the US Capitol, where members of Congress were evacuating.
The US Air Force will provide military funeral honors for Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran and pro-Donald Trump rioter who was shot and killed on January 6, 2021 after breaching a sensitive area of the US Capitol, where members of Congress were evacuating.
Biden admin was incorrect in prohibiting it per the letter of the law. That being said I’d love to show up to her grave in the middle of it to give her the finger.
vxc961
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I kind of agree! I did like funerals, and I never knew (or paid attention) to who it was until I got there. I’d love to be a fly on the wall on this one though! Will they do the honors even though she’s (I presume) already taken care of?
Not to derail the thread, but I showed up to a funeral and it was one of the greatest Navy Aces of WW2. I remember being shocked that it was me and a reserve SK3 (yes, no third) for this one. Family was really neat, and sort Of glad for the low profile FHD as I guess lots of people hit people had hit him up over the years for souvenirs or been otherwise a little tasteless.