it indicates that “The Union Never Hides” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Unknown). The member of the honor guard who completes the final fold of the flag renders a hand salute. Personal salutes, or hand salutes, were a prevailing practice in earlier times to ensure that a person saluting was placing himself in an unarmed position, showing respect and trust to the person being saluted. The final salute is to the fallen service member. The presenting officer, or presenting honor guard member, then salutes the family member to which he or she has just presented the flag. This salute is to recognize the family member’s sacrifice in support of their loved one’s service (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Unknown). Most have heard “Taps” being played for a military funeral, either in person or on a movie. “Taps” dates as far back as 1862 when it was a revision of an existing Civil War bugle call. At that time, it was used to notify the soldiers that it was time to extinguish the lights, the end of the soldiers’ day. When soldiers heard “Taps” played at night, they knew that everything was safe and secure. It is unclear as to the origin of the word Taps . It may be derived from the Dutch word for tattoo , which is taptoe . The more likely origin is from three drum taps that were played to signal that it was time for the lights to be extinguished. “Taps” was first used for a funeral in the same year for tactical reasons in place of a rifle salute. The U.S. Army Infantry drill regulations mandated the use of “Taps” at military funerals in 1891. The symbolism in today’s funerals is to indicate that the fallen comrade has been laid to rest (Joint Service Honors Command, 2010). Caissons are not seen as often in a military funeral as is the flag, rifle salute, and playing of “Taps.” A caisson used in a military funeral is pulled by horses who are saddled, but only the horses on the left have riders. This custom is believed to have evolved from when horse-drawn caissons were used to move artillery ammunition and cannons. It was the riderless horse that carried the provisions. The “caparisoned horse” is a single riderless horse that follows the caisson with boots reversed in the stirrups. This is in reference to its ornamental coverings, which have a detailed protocol all to itself. Traditionally, a caparisoned horse follows the casket of an Army or Marine Corps Officer who was ranked as a Colonel or above. The President of the United States may also receive this honor as having been the nation’s Commander in Chief. This tradition of the caparisoned horse is believed to have come from the time of Genghis Khan. When a warrior would fall in battle during that time, warriors would often sacrifice the horse to serve the fallen warrior in the afterlife. The more recent meaning symbolizes a rider who will ride no more. The first U.S. President to be honored with a caparisoned horse was Abraham Lincoln when he was killed in 1865 (Joint Service Honors Command, 2010). The playing of bagpipes is another tradition often witnessed in military, law enforcement, fire service, and civilian funeral services. Bagpipers have commemorated the loss of loved ones at funeral services for hundreds of years. The English, Irish, and Scottish originally used the bagpipes to inflame the passion of soldiers prior to entering into battle and also in an attempt to terrify enemies with the strange wailing notes (Weissberg, 2011).
highest-ranking member of the squad would act as an escort for the detail. There are still six pallbearers used today to represent the comrades-in-arm left behind after a death (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Unknown). Rifle salutes are another traditional and prominent aspect of military and law enforcement services. People often mistakenly refer to these salutes as a twenty-one-gun salute, when it is actually a rifle salute. A twenty-one-gun salute is believed to trace back to the Anglo-Saxon Empire when twenty-one guns constituted a recognized naval salute. This was because most naval vessels of that time had only seven guns. At that time, it was much easier to store gun powder on land than it was on ships at sea. Therefore, guns on land could fire three shots for every one shot that a ship at sea could fire. As developments in storage allowed people to store more gun powder on ships at sea, naval ships began to use twenty-one guns. The United States originally used one shot for each of the twenty-one states in 1818. As the number of states increased, the number was returned to twenty-one in 1841. In 1875, the United States formally adopted the twenty-one-gun salute at the suggestion of the British (Joint Service Honors Command, 2010). The three volley rifle salutes that are most common at services date back to the Napoleonic Wars. These wars were fought at a time when both sides of the battle observed rules. There was a practice of ceasing the battle to allow both sides time to clear their dead and wounded from the battlefield. When each side had gathered all of their dead and injured soldiers, they would fire a volley of three shots to signal they were ready to resume the battle. The seven-person firing party is representative of the seven remaining members of the squad. Just as the opposing sides of a battle would fire three shots to signify that their dead and wounded had been cared for, the volley of three shots is to signify that a comrade-in-arms has been taken care of (Weissberg, 2011). A flag-draped casket is widely viewed as a symbol of respect for the deceased and is symbolic of his or her service to their country. Both the flag-draped casket and the way in which the flag is folded has historical roots and symbolic significance. When a flag is draped over a casket, it is to symbolize honorable service and mourning. The tradition of draping a casket or a body also goes back to the Napoleonic Wars, when soldiers covered the dead with a flag and removed them from the battlefield on a caisson. The blue field of the flag is to always be placed at the head of the casket over the left shoulder of the deceased. Folding of the flag at a funeral is to show the “retiring of colors,” a ceremony that people observe at the end of each day of duty or at the conclusion of a ceremony. The way in which the flag is folded is also steeped in tradition and symbolism. When the pallbearers or honor guard lift the flag and hold it above the casket, they are recognizing the passing of life. When properly folded, there will be thirteen folds, with each fold having a symbolic meaning. The triangular shape of the folded flag represents the triangular-shaped hats that the country’s forefathers wore during the Revolutionary War. The blue field that is visible when the flag is folded is known as the “Union.” The Union is representative of the country’s history and courage;
UNITED STATES MILITARY HONORS
conferees agree that men and women, who have served honorably, whether in war or peace, deserve commemoration for their military service at the time of their death by an appropriate tribute. Burial honors are an important means of reminding Americans of the sacrifices endured to keep the Nation free,” (Torreon, 2015).
Those who serve, or have served, in the United States Military are typically eligible for certain benefits and honors upon their death. Some of these benefits may also be available for their spouse and dependent children. The National Defense Authorization Act set the requirements for funeral honors and mandated funeral honors at services for all eligible veterans of the U.S. Military. The following statement can be found in the Storm Thurmond National Defense Authorization: “The
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