Honor guard at funeral

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marshall3

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Went to a funeral yesterday. The honor guard had 5 riflemen, who shot thrice. I was a bit worried because they were shooting straight at me, but slightly elevated. Shouldn't they tell those guys to shoot a bit higher? I know they are just shooting blanks, but still, I didn't like it much!

On the other hand, kudos to the honor guard for being there, and paying homage to the departed soldier. May he rest in peace.
 
It can be a bit unnerving, seeing as how the Manual of Arms and FM 22-5 (Drill and Ceremonies) has the members of the firing squad simply snap the weapons to the firing position, butt under the arm to fire. The older method was to actually imitate aiming upward at about a 25 to 30 degree angle.

Only 5 members? They must have been a bit short, because the firing squad should consist of 7 soldiers/riflemen. 7 rifles x 3 rounds=21 gun salute.

Regarding the fallen soldier laid to rest, there are two songs that will make tears come easily to me. One is the Star Spangled Banner, well executed.

The second is Taps.

God Speed, soldier, God Speed.
 
There were seven...

There were seven men, but only five had rifles.
The center rifleman played taps (and not recorded either. Have you seen these new "automatic" bugles????). People definitely shed tears during taps.
Also, the honor guard exited immediately after doing their thing. I think they should have stayed for the rest of the graveside ceremony, but maybe they did what the manual says to do. Don't know.
 
Me too, Dean. I usually close my solo shows with Amazing Grace played with a slide on my Dobro, and I'm not even a mainstream religious guy.
Biker
 
Only 5 members? They must have been a bit short, because the firing squad should consist of 7 soldiers/riflemen. 7 rifles x 3 rounds=21 gun salute.
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Sorry, but you are mistaken. The fallen soldier obviously recieved the three shot volley, not a 21 gun salute. 21 gun salutes are reserved for heads of state and use cannon or artillery (guns) such as was seen at the funeral of Ronald Reagan. A three shot volley is no less an honor for a fallen comrade and uses rifles. Rifles are not considered to be guns.

A three shot volley derives from the time of the muzzle loader. This practice originated in an old custom of halting battle to remove the dead and injured from the battlefield. Once each army had cleared its dead, it would fire three volleys to indicate that the dead had been cared for and that they were ready to go back to the fight. The fact that the firing party may consist of seven riflemen, firing three volleys does not constitute a 21 gun salute. An odd number of riflemen is the tradition, from 3 to seven. The "shots" are fired in unison over the casket of the man being honored. The rifle detail is to exit promptly after firing the volley.
 
Marshall,
I would imagine that they were rushing off to another funeral. There is a real shortage of Honor Guards these days. The local bases, VFW and Legion do their best, but there just doesn't seem to be enough to go around. Having a real bugler is very lucky. Buglers are even scarcer than Riflemen.

I spent 20 years as a Navy Musician and have been a part of the cortege in several hundred funerals. All are a very emotional experience, but nothing, and I mean nothing, can compare to a full ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery . The march in slowstep to the graveside with the drums beating out a dirge, the band playing the Funeral March, the flagdraped coffin on a horse drawn cassion being followed by a riderless horse with the boots reversed in the stirrups, the Honor Compay marching with reversed arms, the Firing Squad rendering the final salute, Taps and the final offering of the folded flag to the widow or mother is something that makes it almost impossible to keep a clear eye. (Thankfully my time at Arlington was before the bagpips were in use at military funerals or I would have been a blubbering heap at the graveside.) (I couldn't even write this without tearing up a little.:eek: )

Dean
 
It's a rough job

I was selected to serve as an honor guard last year when I was in AIT training. We had to practice for two weeks to get the drills down. It paid off, however, on the big day. We had a firing squad, a real bugler, pallbearers, flag folders, the whole nine yards. It was difficult, emotionally straining work. But it was all worth it when it came off without a hitch and we were able to render deserved honors to the serviceman and his family.
 
Thank you, XavierBreath...

Quote:
Only 5 members? They must have been a bit short, because the firing squad should consist of 7 soldiers/riflemen. 7 rifles x 3 rounds=21 gun salute.
Sorry, but you are mistaken. The fallen soldier obviously recieved the three shot volley, not a 21 gun salute. 21 gun salutes are reserved for heads of state and use cannon or artillery (guns) such as was seen at the funeral of Ronald Reagan. A three shot volley is no less an honor for a fallen comrade and uses rifles. Rifles are not considered to be guns.
Click to expand...

That's something I didn't know. Thanks for the information.

Walter
 
Xavier,
You are right. It is not a "21 gun salute" as you said, but the "traditional" number of riflemen in a firing squad is 7 firing 3 volleys (which just coincidentally equals 21). The three volleys goes back to an old superstition that "they would scare away the devils that were waiting to get into the hearts of the the the deceased's comrades at such a moment as the burial of a comrade-at-arms." (Naval Customs, Traditions and Usage. LtCdr Leland Lovette. US Naval Institute 1939).

Atom, They are firing blanks. Although, the Turkish Navy fired shotted gun salutes up until about 1910. :what:

Dea
 
A slight change in tone in this thread: This past Febuary, we laid my father to his eternal rest. He was a WWII combat veteran, 31 missions as waist gun/toggalier in a B17, flying with the 15th from Foggia, Italy. On a bitterly cold, windy Nebraska day, at the graveside services, seven members of the honor guard fired their 1903 model rifles. An aged veteran spoke over Dad's casket, and the man had tears streaming down his face. It was an extremely moving ceremony. This just outside a village of 500 people. I surely do thank those men that perform this service.
 
AtomSphere.

No, they're not "hammering off live rounds":rolleyes:



I offerd a case of .308 blanks to the Tn Color Guard who presided over my buddy's father's funeral. The Chaplin declined saying they had plenty and were supplied adequtely.

With the passing of WWII vets they're busy folks.
 
Yep. Cried like baby at my uncle's funeral. Taps and 3 volleys, although, there must have been some FTF on volley three, as only one rifle actually barked then. Took nothing away from the solemnity. <wipes eyes>
 
Same here with losing tear control. Last August we buried my FIL, a WWII vet. I was doing fine up until that point.

The honor guard consisted of three riflemen/women firing AR15's. Because of the blanks, they had to manually cycle the action after each shot.
 
I can't add much to what has already been said above... but,

At my FIL's funeral a year ago, there were 5 riflemen with Garands. Before the graveside ceremony, I asked them if I could have 2 of their spent brass for my children, the deceased's only grandchildren. They were happy to oblige and collected as many as they could find in the longish grass. They obviously had been reloaded many times. I had two of them engraved with his name and born/died dates for my kids.

The widow is presented several spent brass in a small bag along with the flag. But I wanted the ones actually used for his funeral.

The funeral director played taps. Anyone who played trumpet in high school would be capable of playing taps with a few minutes practice. In some cases where there is no other live bugler available, HS students who volunteer will be excused from class to do the honor as a community service.
 
Anyone who played trumpet in high school would be capable of playing taps with a few minutes practice. In some cases where there is no other live bugler available, HS students who volunteer will be excused from class to do the honor as a community service.
Click to expand...

I used to be "that kid". I still have my trumpet (was really a trombone player) After playing bari bugle in drum corps, I have considered purchasing an old bugle (so I can play it the way it is supposed to be) and getting back into it.

Reading this thread makes me sad for the days I played, even for those I never knew and very sad for the day I will play taps for my own father...
 
Yes Scooter, I lost my Dad 10 years ago. Taps tore me up before that time and now...
Biker
 
Reading this thread makes me sad for the days I played, even for those I never knew and very sad for the day I will play taps for my own father...
Click to expand...
Perhaps he has requested this. But consider that you would be denying someone else the honor of allowing you the freedom to grieve at that moment or to comfort others in your family who need you at that moment.

Not trying to argue. Just saying.
 
I never undestood why people always got so emotional when taps was played, that is until I went to a funeral for one of my relatives with the CAP providing an honor guard. Saddest thing I've ever seen, but I couldn't help notice how the ceremony was conducted with remarkable precision.
 
Went to a friends mother's funeral about a year ago...turns out she was in the Army in WWII (he never told me)...They had 2 honor guards at the service (there was no graveside ceremony). They played "Taps" , and did a ceremony with the flag, including inserting 3 expended rifle casings, one in each corner of the flag. (Never seen it done that way before) When they played Taps, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
 
Hey Scooter, Veterans organizations that provide Burial details usually have to rely on a boom box for taps. That seems to detract from the ceremony quite a bit. I would bet that your local VFW and/or American Legion would be eternally grateful if they had a real Bugler, to say nothing of the satisfaction it would provide to the families. By the way, investigate the "Cracked Note - Bugler saying goodbye and crying with music tradition."
 
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