In Salute of the Military Honor Guard

By: Karen Nelson

November prompts us to think of veterans because of Veterans Day and gratefulness because of Thanksgiving Day. But perhaps this month is a time to be thankful for those individuals who are part of the numerous honor guards in Utah and across our country and for the sacrifices of those they serve.

In 1993, I witnessed the incredible respect and honor the military afford their own at the burial of my father in Arlington Cemetery. Having been a pilot in WWII and the Korean War, he made Air Force his career. After he retired he died at only 69. I had never attended a military funeral before and even though I did not know all the symbolism in the gun salute, taps, and the folding of the flag and its presentation to my mother, I was incredibly moved and grateful to these individuals for the comfort they gave me. I could tell that they regarded my father as a comrade in arms and that they performed their duties out of a love for country that I envied. Without knowing my father personally, they knew a part of him better than I did. My father, like many vets, never shared war stories with his family but I wanted to understand his sacrifice. Air Force museums, documentaries, reading his wartime letters and meeting those who remained from his WWII flight crew helped and each military funeral I have attended since that day has touched me deeply. 

In America, 7.8 percent of the population have been or are currently a member of the military. In Utah that percentage is 6.5 percent. Because of an aging demographic, over 550,000 military honors are performed each year in America. The VFW and American Legion are often the ones who provide this comfort to families. Working at Myers I have seen the many hours they donate with devotion.

The casket is draped with the flag with the stars over the left shoulder indicating heartfelt patriotism. At most military funerals, the gun salute is actually not a 21-gun salute but an honor guard team firing three volleys from rifles. These volleys indicate that the dead are properly cared for and have their origins on early battlefields. Mournful notes of taps were first played during the Civil War by the Union Army to signal lights out, but the somber tones eventually became part of funeral services. For me, the folding of the flag and its presentation to the loved one is the most moving. Only the stars on their field of blue are visible with perhaps a few of the spent shells tucked in the back. The honor guard presents this symbol with an expression of gratitude for the sacrifice made. Norm Nelson former Commander of the Utah VFW was a member of the Air Force Honor Guard Unit that served President Kennedy when he was assassinated. He has participated in countless services in Northern Utah with the VFW and he treats each as if it is the most important of his life. 

These same individuals who serve at graveside pass their reverence for America and the flag onto the youth at schools, at Courts of Honor, at Memorial Day through helping with Honor Flight and as they place wreaths at graves each December. The Honor Guard touched my heart and gave me comfort decades ago in Arlington and they continue to nourish my patriotism and spirit today. For that I will always be grateful.

Sources:

Retrieved from: http://www.hill.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/397599/air-force-changes-military-funeral-honors-requirements/ 

Retrieved from: http://gardner.utah.edu/census_utah_veteran_population/

Retrieved from: https://www.veteransunited.com/spouse/a-final-salute-know-the-symbolism-behind-military-funerals/

Retrieved from: http://www.veterans-in-blue.af.mil/Veterans/Veterans-in-Blue-Volume-2/Display/Article/757791/