My father recently passed away after a brief illness. He was 87 and lived a wonderful life…and my mother, sister and I were fortunate to have him for so long. Of course, planning the funeral services was very difficult. We wanted to honor him in all ways possible…and the military helped us do just that.
My father was in the US Marine Corps from 1953 to 1956, stationed in Korea. He was proud of that service, as were we. When it came time to make the burial arrangements, the military stepped in. My family members and I followed my father’s casket to the military cemetery, where we were greeted and shown to a committal shelter. His casket was placed beneath the medallions of five branches of the US military—the Navy, the Marines, the Army, the Coast Guard and the Air Force. A member of the Marines played “Taps”…and my mother was presented with the folded burial flag. We each filed past the casket and placed a carnation on top. It was not a long ceremony but incredibly important to my family…and my father would have loved every minute of it!
I believe every veteran deserves such honors and so much more. My father was a huge proponent of the Veterans Administration, now known as the US Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA.gov). He encouraged all the veterans he knew—my husband among them—to learn about the benefits they deserve and to sign up with their local VA office. Now I am picking up where he left off.
A heartfelt thank you from the entire Bottom Line team to all who are serving or who have served in the US military.
