Military Funeral Honors: What You Get, and How to Request It
The short answer: if the person who died served in the US armed forces and left under conditions other than dishonorable, federal law entitles them to military funeral honors when the family asks. At a minimum that means at least two uniformed service members, the folding and presentation of the American flag to the family, and the playing of Taps. The funeral director usually makes the request, ideally at least 48 to 72 hours before the service, and will need a copy of the discharge papers — most often the DD Form 214. There is no charge to the family for the honors detail.
Many families do not ask, because they assume honors are only for people who died in service, or for career officers, or that it will be complicated. It is none of those. This is what you are entitled to, and how to make sure it happens.
What the Law Guarantees
Since 1 January 2000, federal law (10 U.S.C. § 1491) has required the military to provide a funeral honors detail for the funeral of any eligible veteran, on the family's request. The minimum is set out in the law itself:
| Element | What the law requires |
|---|---|
| The detail | At least two members of the armed forces, not retired. At least one is from the veteran's own branch of service. |
| The flag | A United States flag is folded and presented to the veteran's family. |
| Taps | Played by a bugler if one is part of the detail. Otherwise a recording is played, and the detail brings its own audio equipment if the venue does not have any. |
Beyond the two service members, the rest of a detail may be military retirees or members of veterans organizations. That is how many families end up with more than the minimum: local posts of groups like the American Legion or the VFW often provide a rifle detail, pallbearers or an escort, alongside the uniformed honors. The rifle detail fires three volleys. It is often mistaken for a 21-gun salute, which is a different honor.
Full military honors
Some veterans receive full military honors: typically a larger detail, a casket team and a firing party. Who receives full honors depends on the person's rank and service, and each branch decides what "full" includes. By law, Medal of Honor and prisoner-of-war medal recipients who are first buried or inurned at Arlington National Cemetery receive full honors. If you think the person may qualify, ask the funeral director to raise it with the branch when the request is made. Larger details depend on what the branch can provide on that date.
Who Is Eligible
Under the law, honors are provided for:
- Anyone who served on active duty and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. That includes general discharges, not only honorable ones. If the discharge was other than honorable, ask anyway; the branch decides.
- Members and former members of the Selected Reserve, which includes many Guard and Reserve members.
- Service members who die on active duty, whose branch arranges honors as part of the death in service.
The exceptions are narrow. Honors may not be provided for a person convicted of certain serious federal or state crimes listed in 38 U.S.C. § 2411, or where the circumstances of the death would, in the Defense Department's judgment, bring discredit on the person's service (10 U.S.C. § 985).
If you are not sure whether the person qualifies, ask anyway. The branch decides; the family does not have to work it out first.
How to Request Honors
Ask the funeral director. This is the normal route and the easiest. Tell them at the first arrangements meeting that the person was a veteran and you want military honors. Funeral homes request honors all the time; they will contact the right branch and coordinate the timing. If you are not using a funeral home, a family member or other personal representative can contact the branch directly.
Give them time. The VA suggests contacting the service branch at least 48 to 72 hours before the service. More notice is better, especially for full honors, weekend services or rural areas. If the funeral is sooner than that, ask anyway; details are often arranged at short notice, but they cannot be promised.
If the burial is in a VA national cemetery, the cemetery staff can help arrange honors when the burial is scheduled.
If you have questions the funeral director cannot answer, Military OneSource (800-342-9647) is the general help line the VA lists for the honors program.
The Paperwork: Finding the DD-214
The branch needs proof that the person served and was not dishonorably discharged. For most veterans that is the DD Form 214, the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Older veterans may have an earlier equivalent, and reservists may have different documents.
Where families find it:
- In the veteran's important papers — the file with the will, the house deed, or the insurance policies.
- Recorded at the county clerk or recorder's office, where many veterans filed a copy after discharge.
- With the VA, if the veteran ever applied for VA benefits.
If you cannot find it, tell the funeral director. Military records for most veterans are held by the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, part of the National Archives, which has a separate process for burial and emergency requests. Next of kin who can request a deceased veteran's records include a spouse who has not remarried, parents, children and siblings, with proof of death such as a death certificate or a letter from the funeral home.
The Burial Flag
The flag presented at the service is a burial flag provided by the VA. It drapes the casket, or accompanies the urn, and is then folded and presented.
- The application is VA Form 27-2008. The funeral director normally handles it.
- If you are arranging things yourself, take the form to a VA regional office or a US post office. Call the post office first to check it has burial flags.
- The next of kin or a close friend can apply.
- The VA cannot replace a burial flag that is lost, damaged or stolen. Keep it somewhere safe; many families use a triangular display case.
The VA provides one burial flag for each veteran.
What Happens on the Day
The honors usually come at the end of the graveside service, or at the end of the ceremony when there is no burial. Ask the funeral director to tell you the order, so it does not take anyone by surprise.
- The detail arrives and stands apart until the clergy or officiant has finished.
- If there is a rifle detail, it fires three volleys. The noise is sudden; it is worth warning young children and anyone with a startle response.
- Taps is played. It lasts under a minute.
- The flag is folded by two members of the detail, into the familiar triangle with only the blue field showing.
- The flag is presented to the next of kin, often by a member kneeling in front of them, with words close to: "On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Army, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service." The branch named changes with the person's service.
Tell the funeral director in advance who should receive the flag. It is usually the spouse, or the eldest child.
If you are attending
Stand during Taps and the folding of the flag. Service members in uniform salute; veterans may salute too. Others usually stand quietly with a hand over the heart. Do not film the presentation unless the family has said they want it recorded.
Cremation and Memorial Services
Cremation does not affect eligibility. Honors can be part of an inurnment of ashes, a burial of ashes, or a memorial service. When you make the request, say clearly what kind of service it is and whether the remains will be present, because what the detail does at a service without remains varies by branch. If the memorial service is in a church, see planning a memorial service at a church for fitting the honors into the order of service.
Other Things the VA Provides
Honors are one part of a wider set of veterans' burial benefits. Two are worth requesting at the same time:
- A Presidential Memorial Certificate — an engraved paper certificate signed by the current president, honoring the veteran's service. For a veteran eligible for burial in a national cemetery, family members and close friends can request it online or with VA Form 40-0247, and the VA accepts more than one request, so several relatives can each have one.
- Burial benefits — depending on eligibility, these can include burial in a national cemetery, a government headstone or marker, and a burial allowance. The VA should be on your list of agencies to tell; see who to notify when someone dies.
Writing About Their Service
The honors last a few minutes. What lasts longer is what the family writes down. Include the branch, the years served, any deployments or units they talked about, and the friends they kept from it. Our guides on how to write an obituary and how to write a eulogy cover how to fit service into a life story without letting it become the whole of it.
On GetMemorial
A memorial page is a good place for the things the honors cannot hold: the service photos, the stories from the people they served with, the photo of the folded flag. On GetMemorial, the person who creates the memorial adds the photos and writes the life story, and anyone who signs in can leave a message — which is often how old service friends find the family. You can choose whether the page is public or visible only to you.
Quick Answers
Are military funeral honors free? Yes. There is no charge to the family for the honors detail.
Do you need an honorable discharge for military honors? No. Any discharge under conditions other than dishonorable qualifies, along with service in the Selected Reserve.
How far in advance do you need to request honors? The VA suggests at least 48 to 72 hours before the service. Earlier is better.
Can we still have honors if we have lost the DD-214? Usually, yes. Tell the funeral director; the records can be requested from the National Personnel Records Center, which has a process for burials.
Is a 21-gun salute part of a veteran's funeral? No. A rifle detail fires three volleys, which is often mistaken for a 21-gun salute.
GetMemorial helps families build lasting online memorials — a permanent home for the service photos, the stories and the tributes from the people who served alongside them. Build yours at GetMemorial.com.
