“It is the last proper sign of respect to show a veteran.”
“I do it in honor of my own family members and friends who served in foreign wars.”
“It upholds the tradition of military personnel, and is hard not to do it.”
“It is as much about comforting the family as it is about honoring the person who died.”
“It is an honor to be asked to be present at the intimate moment of someone saying a final farewell to a loved one.”
These were the responses of local veterans when asked why they volunteer to provide military honor guard services in Oceana County.
Pentwater VFW Post Commander Jim Carlson reports that a military honor guard is requested at five or more funerals a month for veterans in Oceana County. Sometimes the funerals are scheduled at the same time or on the same day, and this means many volunteers are needed to meet the requests. “The only way we could handle the requests was to form a coalition of posts in the county. The Pentwater VFW post coordinates with the Hart VFW post, the Ferry Veterans group and the American Legion post in Shelby to provide sufficient volunteers.”
The size of the honor guard detail depends on how many volunteers are available, Carlson shared. “But a full complement military honor guard uses 14 persons: a bugler, a chaplain, seven rifle team members, an officer of the day and four persons to present a white flower, an evergreen, a wreath and a flag. Each presentation includes a designated reading, and two members of the guard fold the flag that is given to the family of the veteran.”
Carlson has performed the honors with as few as three other volunteers when no more were available. But it is a challenge when volunteers have to fill multiple roles.
Honor guard services are offered at funeral homes, cemeteries and churches. To engage an honor guard for a loved one, a veteran’s family needs to present a copy of a DD214 form, which is an honorable discharge document, to the funeral home. The funeral home director then notifies someone in the local coalition who takes responsibility for finding an honor guard team from the various military posts.
“Requests for WWII veterans are few and far between. We had one for Harold Tate of Hart on Saturday, August 30. He had just turned 100 years old, and 27 veterans were present.”
Carlson continued, “More often we honor veterans from the Korean War or from service in Vietnam or Iraq. The youngest veteran we honored was only 24 years old. I worked in the Hart schools for more than 40 years, and the hardest thing for me is participating at funerals of veterans who I knew as students and spoke with at school about military service.”
Hart VFW Post Quartermaster Steve Fell is often the recipient of a call from the funeral home. Fell served in the Navy for 26 years all around the world with the Navy Seabees, who worked in construction. His wife moved with him, and their son was born in Morocco. He has been participating in honor guard service for 33 years since retiring from the Navy and says, “I am grateful for the opportunity to honor fellow veterans in this way.”
Mike Flynn was invited to join the Pentwater VFW after he had served in the National Guard out of Manistee and had active duty in Grayling. He had family members who were WWII veterans and had friends who served in Vietnam. “I participate at funerals in their honor. But I have health issues that now curtail how much I can do. The ranks of our volunteers are thinning out, and we need more and younger veterans to replace those we have lost.”
Gina Mead volunteers through the Shelby American Legion. She served six years in the Navy. She started in aviation, working on F-14 aircraft, but transferred into the Seabees to do construction work.
Several members of her family were veterans, and she began honor guard service after her uncle died in 2012. “What’s hard for me is serving at the funerals of veterans who have been honor guards with me,” she shared. Mead feels strongly that any family whose loved one has served in the military should have the opportunity to request an honor guard.
“I use female veteran volunteers whenever I can,” Carlson said. “I often ask Gina Mead from the Shelby American Legion to be my chaplain.”
When ordained military chaplains are not available, others must fill the role that involves special readings. Comfortable with public speaking, gifted with a good voice, and willing to fill a religious role, Mead is happy to serve this way.
Veterans of any age are welcome to volunteer for honor guard service. They do not need to have their original uniform. Carlson said, “Not all veterans kept their uniforms. Even if they kept them, not everyone can still fit in them. If original uniforms are not available, we encourage veterans to wear the alternate uniforms of white shirts and black pants.” Veterans willing to participate as an honor guard can contact Carlson at 231-301-3955, Fell at 231-873-1727 or Mead at 231-638-3728.
