Photo By Sgt. Maj. Corine Lombardo | New York Army National Guard Spc. Ramon Rodriquez, renders a salute to Army Veteran...... read more read more
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LATHAM, N.Y. - The New York Army National Guard Honor Guard conducted military funerals for 10,085 families across New York as of Dec. 23, and expect to perform about 193 more military funerals before 2017 begins, for a total of 10,278.
The New York Air National Guard performed funeral services 1,967 times for Air Force veterans in 2016.
In 2015 the New York Army National Guard’s Honor Guard conducted 8,725 services.
Since 2000, federal law has mandated that any military veteran who did not receive a dishonorable discharge from the armed forces is eligible for military honors at his or her funeral.
The ceremony must include the folding and presenting of the flag of the United States to the veteran's survivors and the playing of Taps.
Because of the demand for funeral services, the Army authorizes the use of an electronic bugle. The Soldier raises a bugle to his lips and pushes a button and an electronic device plays Taps.
The size of the detail varies from a minimum of two service members to nine or more personnel for deceased service members who retired from the military after a full career or were awarded medals for valor.
At least one of the honor guard members must belong to the service the deceased service member had served in.
In most cases the honor guard provide just a two-member detail for funerals. The Army National Guard provided services with nine-member honor guard’s 44 times in 2016.
The New York Army National Guard has 31 Soldiers serving full-time on funeral honors details, with another 117 Soldiers who volunteer to perform funeral honors on a part-time basis when needed.
New York Army National Guard Soldiers go through a week-long training process to become fully certified in providing military funerals.
The New York Army National Guard conducts about 98 percent of military funeral details for Army veterans within the state, said Sgt. 1st Class Edwin Dominguez, a Porters Corners, N.Y. resident and the honor guard non-commissioned officer in charge.
The New York Army National Guard honor guard operates from nine locations across New York.
The 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum conducts military funerals within 50 miles of the post. The U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Army Reserve Command and the United States Military Academy at West Point also perform military funerals when requested by the Army casualty assistance center at Joint Base Maguire-Dix-Lakehurst.
For Spc. Ramon Rodriguez, a Saratoga, N.Y. resident, serving on the New York Army National Guard’s Honor Guard is a family affair. His father, Ramon Rodriguez IV, also serves on the team. Occasionally they’ve even done funerals together.
"Honor is a value that was instilled in me by my father and it's a privilege to be here to honor our veterans," he said.
Working out of the Honor Guard’s Kingston, N.Y. office, Rodriguez coordinates funerals services north to the Canadian border and west to Herkimer County in the Mohawk Valley.
The job is a rewarding one, said Spec. Nathaniel Cross, a Glens Falls, N.Y. resident who is an honor guard trainer and bugler.
“The services we provide are part of the last memories families have of burying a loved one,” Cross said. “It is so important that what we do is done with dignity and respect.”
“We have one shot to do it right, which is why we strive to exceed the standards,” he added.
| Date Taken: | 12.23.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 12.23.2016 13:13 |
| Story ID: | 218657 |
| Location: | LATHAM, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 223 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, New York Army National Guard to perform 10, 278 military funeral services by close of 2016, by Eric Durr, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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