gun salute at burial

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TonyB

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We burried my Father in Laws ashes yesterday.He was in the Sons of the Union Veterans,and they did the color guard and 3 gun salute.Very moving.They used Italian made replica muskets(Uberti?)the Army also did the presentation of the flag and TAPS....lump in the throat time for sure.
 
I'm sorry for your loss.

I have done many funerals with the honor guard. Flag presentation, taps, the veterans with the 3 gun salute, the whole deal. Kinda goes with having a bunch of older folks in one's church- many of that generation served in WWII or Korea, and now they're dying off.

The honor guard never fails to be quite moving.
 
In my home town when veterans die, the local legion hall organizes veterans to show up and depending on circumstances they do a gun salute.

Unfortunately, its getting harder and harder to get enough vets to show up, and the ones they do get are getting on in years. At my dad's funeral, I watched one older guy (and I do mean older) have alot of problems with his gun handling. Luckily all the guns had blanks because he actually had a ND with his rifle while it was pointed at some of the people (my daughter included).

I was convinced by my sister not to say anything (she asked, "why would I want to CAUSE a problem), but that guy shouldn't have been allowed to handle a gun, with or without blanks.

I appreciate the vets, especially since they are doing something special for other vets, but at some point common sense has to prevail over sentiment.
 
Your family has my condolences and prayers. There's soething about a gun salute while playing taps that breaks me down every time. I don't even have to know the person and I'm just whailing by the end.
 
I've been one of the riflemen on more funeral details than I can count. It was always pretty moving.

One funny story.. on the first detail I ever was on as a young private the rifle squad leader neglected to bring the blanks for our M16's and we were 150 miles out of Fort Riley with 2 hours before the funeral on a Sunday. At first he was going to cruise to a sporting goods store and pick up some .223 but we talked him out of it citing safety concerns. Then he called the local VFW and we borrowed a bunch of ceremonial 1903's and then had to modify the drill for them. It came out smooth in the end.
 
I really like the salute even though it signifies such a sad time. I actually missed my grandfather's salute at Arlington. I was there at the funeral, but veterans buried at Arlington have about a 3-week backup, so the funeral and burial cannot be on the same day. I skipped college for the funeral, but the burial was during finals, which my parents wouldn't let me miss. We do have a few of the spent blank cartridges sitting next to his folded flag.
 
Tony B,

We buried my father in law about 10 weeks ago. He was a Navy man for some 20+ years. At his burial they played Taps and did the 21 gun salute. No one was prepared for it and I too had a lump in my throat the size of a gold ball. I feel your pain. Condolences.
 
My condolences to you for your loss.

A little bit of trivia...The 21 Gun Salute comes from the sum of the numbers 1776.
 
Durring my time in the Army, Funeral Detail was the most Honorable thing I did. I will never forget, the thousands of Headstones all in perfect order flowing with the curve of the ground. Its hard to put into words how it made me feel.

My condolences!!
 
The three volleys of musketry (the rifle fire) are part of a military tradition that goes back to the days when both sides would call a truce on the battlefield to care for the dead and wounded. Three volleys of musket fire was a signal to that you had buried your dead and evacuated your wounded and were ready to continue operations. The volley is fired at the end of a military funeral to signify that the service is over and everyone is ready to return to duty. When the military honors include a band, the band plays solemn funeral music as it accompanies the casket to the place of interment and marching music as it marches from the place of interment.

Jeff
 
God Bless you Tony B

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God Bless you Tony B, and may God hold your Father-in-Law close.

What a great honor and how solemn that gun salute must have been.

There are some Taps played on YouTube, and some of them are so profoundly stirring, you cannot fail to be moved, so that's what I'm thinking of right now Tony, for you.
 
Taps is the saddest song ever written, and nothing will ever change my mind about that. My condolences to you and yours.
 
My condolences to all who have lost parents.

I lost my father in June to cancer. He was a WWII vet and I never knew how much he thought of his military service. The color guard consisted of American Legion members. They had three 1903 rifles and fired three volleys. The coffin draped flag was folded and presented to me and taps was played. It was quite moving and I had to fight off choking up. The color guard gave me the empty brass.

My dad's tomb stone consisted of usual name & dates but included the unit designation of his Amphibious Engineer unit from WWII. The last line of the stone read, WWII Veteran.

Cherish your parents. I am getting choked up and gotta go.

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