Funeral Details

[19K30]

:cry:It comes to my mind quite a lot.While at my 2nd duty station I was assigned to be the NCOIC in charge of funeral details.

I preformed 63 in total mostly a two man team. I was sent in a civilian government vehicle to a location where the soldiers died. Once there I would receive a fax from the funeral home director and train the private I had with me for the task. Soldiers from all ages and different wars was placed in the ground with me standing over them in class A's.

I mean I constantly remember those scenes in my head and the family's reactions. I had already had combat time under me by then but it's also something I will never forget.

They sent me out for two weeks at a time generally with a government credit card. Are any others out there on this forum having to deal with this?

 

[Grizzly]

Yes Brother I did the same thing. At the time it was mostly for Vietnam, Korean and WWII vets.. A couple young guys. The young ones were the hardest.

 

[JarHed]

Hey 19K30

That has got to be the hardest duty of all. Combat is what it is but to do what you did I think is more difficult in a completely different way. There's something inescapable about it.

Jar

 

[atilla]

I agree with Jar. I salute you 19k30. I would not want that detail every day. Thanks for your service Brother. Rough job.

 

[Grizzly]

I'm with atilla. I did it but most of the guys were elderly. You knew they lived fruitful lives more than likely. The young ones were the hardest.

I didn't drive the detail around. I was in charge of local details. Mainly those in the immediate areas. Little different. Your detail seemed like a difficult one.

The biggest difficulty in the detail was how numb I got from it after a while.

 

[19K30]

I was the one that bent down and presented the flag to the next of kin --- said what the ARMY told me to and saluted them. Some were 21 gun salutes, some had the local VFW guys. Just that moment when u look their family in the eyes but I never cried doing it. It was molded into me to hold my military bearing at all times no matter what happened. I've done mosilems ,cremation, just about every kind. I guess at the time training the soldiers to fold the flag, dead soldier salutes , and marching to the sites kept my mind somewhat free.

You had to be the same rank or one higher so sometimes I had help from generals which was always fun. On my 2nd one the soldiers brother was the only family he had. It was bad ---he fell over the casket at the graveyard knocking the casket off of the stand. I gave the signal and we back stepped pullin the flag high above so the director and workers could put it back on the rollers.

Before you leave the funeral director will grade your performance. He gave me the highest possible and wrote my commanding officer to tell him that I had never missed a beat. So that is why I was stuck doing this for 2 years.

No matter what don't let the flag hit the ground.

 

[Grizzly]

Yep. Sounds very familiar. Our detail handled everything the same way. We had a group who would do the 21 gun salute. One for chaps. And one for addressing the flag over the casket.

It was an ok detail. It had its honor.

 

[5line]

Thats HEAVY shit. i dont think i could do that detail. my hats off to those who did. and thank you for doing it well.

 

[Spock]

I was the one that bent down and presented the flag to the next of kin... He gave me the highest possible and wrote my commanding officer to tell him that I had never missed a beat. So that is why I was stuck doing this for 2 years.

No matter what don't let the flag hit the ground.

Good form brother! You served those families well.

Another detail I'm glad I never had was being on the notification team that had to be the first to deliver the news to the family. Man oh man, that has to be one devastating moment after another. There was a movie about that out recently.

 

[Grizzly]

Good form brother! You served those families well.

Another detail I'm glad I never had was being on the notification team that had to be the first to deliver the news to the family. Man oh man, that has to be one devastating moment after another. There was a movie about that out recently.

I was on the detail during peacetime. So we didn't have to ever do that. It was always a big dread that something would happen and we may have to go deliver that news.