Funeral Detail - 15 Jan 06

Published on January 17, 2006 By chiprj In Blogging

It has been a busy two weeks so far this rotation. I'm on pace to do 16+ funerals right now. That will be more than either of the other two rotations I've been on.

Sundays funeral was another two man ceremony. I was unable to make it to the practice on the prior Thursday, so the overall NCOIC made sure my bugler was trained and ready to go for me.

We met on Sunday at 1315. We drove down to Pacific Grove and parked outside the mortuary chapel at 1330. This was my partner's first ceremony so we talked through what would happen. He had practiced the two man fold with another volunteer from the Air Force everyday over the weekend, so it was really just a matter of making sure he knew what his cues would be.

When we entered the chapel, we were greeted by one of the gentlemen from the funeral home. He pointed out the widow to me. The casket was at the front of the chapel and open. The flag was partially draped over the closed portion of the casket. The gentleman from the funeral home told me that just before military honors were performed, he would close the casket, fullly drap the flag, and turn the casket inside the niche so that we would be able to move around the casket for the folding. We then took a position in the back of the chapel and I quietly went over the order of events with my bugler again. This time, I mostly highlighted specifics of positioning that we left undecided when we talked it through outside.

The ceremony started at 1400. The minister read a short Gospel passage and then the son spoke for a few minutes. Before he spoke, he lit four candles and then while talking about his father and thier relationship, he described the meaning of each candle he had lit. After he spoke the minister led a short prayer and then took a seat. The men from the funeral home came forward and prepared the casket for military honors.

I marched forward and moved around the casket to get to the head. As it was turned, this had me facing towards the family and friends. The Airman moved to be directly in front of me, at the back of the chapel, and faced so that no one would be able to see the device inside the cone of the buble. Several people did turn and look back at him while Taps played. When Taps was complete, he marched back to our original position and put the bugle in the case. He then marched to the foot of the casket.

There was very little room to fold the flag in the niche at the front of the chapel. I found myself pushed back into the curtains a bit. But there was no real way to get out into the aisle without pushing the casket out of the way or having the flag touch people in the front row. It was something we were aware of before starting, so we dealt with it as best we could. The Airman did an outstanding job folding the flag. I think I've mentioned it before, but on a two man fold, the NCOIC just stands there and holds the end of the flag while the other person does the folding, for the most part. The flag turned out nicely despite this being his first oppurtunity to fold a flag in front of people at a funeral.

After presenting the flag to the widow, I moved to the back of the chapel and waited with the Airman. The gentlemen from the funeral home went forward and returned the casket to it's original position. He then announced that the ceremony was complete and asked that people feel free to remain and pay their last respects.

On the ride back, I told the Airman that he did a good job on the flag and thanked him for volunteering to come to a funeral on a Sunday in the middle of a long weekend. In the schoolhouse, many people are very quick to point out anything negative someone does (falling asleep in class, not completing a homework assignment, that sort of thing) and it is important to follow up and correct negative behavior. But it is equally important to follow up and let people know when they've done good work. I've found, though, that the latter is often forgotten, so I make a point of trying to do it as often as I can.

My Ecosystem Details

Comments

No one has commented on this article. Be the first!

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!