Michigan National Guard Funeral Honors

Photo By Angela Simpson | A Michigan National Guard Funeral Honors soldier prepares his uniform, April 15, 2015, before filming a segment of background footage for a documentary honoring World War II veterans that was created, filmed and directed by students from the Compass College of Cinematic Arts in Grand Rapids.  

LANSING, MI, UNITED STATES

05.11.2015

Story by Angela Simpson 

Michigan National Guard

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan National Guard Funeral Honors teams serve families from all branches of service though the majority are Army affiliated. Requests for service come from funeral directors, family members, branch service coordinators, and fellow service members to the deceased. Occasionally, even individual team members will get a phone call or visit from a friend-of-a-friend who knew they were Honor Guard trained, asking for service at a specific funeral. For coordination and record however, all services require a completed DD 2536, Request for Armed Forces Participation form and a copy of the Veteran’s DD 214 discharge form documenting honorable separation from service. Specific eligibility criteria are listed on the Department of Defense website.

The rendering of Military Funeral Honors for an eligible Veteran is free of charge. An honor guard detail is comprised of a minimum of two Armed Forces members with one member of the detail representing the parent service branch of the deceased. The honor detail will typically perform a ceremony that includes the folding and presenting of the American flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps if a bugler is available. The Veteran's parent service representative presents the flag to the next of kin unless for a specific reason they are unable to perform the service.

Master Sgt. Christopher Grupp is the Michigan National Guard Casualty Operations and Funeral Honors Noncommissioned Officer in Charge. He and other MING leadership team members, oversee all funeral honors operations in Michigan. The team works with military service coordinators from other branches and other states to ensure that every qualified funeral honors request for a Michigan Veteran is completed with great care, respect and dignity.
“I think the emotional component of serving with a Funeral Honors detail can be difficult for some Soldiers,” Grupp said. “However, the rewards for honoring our fallen brothers and sisters makes the hard times easier. Those who perform funeral honors know that their presence at a funeral is 100 percent about honoring the Veteran. The team arrives early, completes a pre-ceremony reconnaissance, performs the rites, and then unobtrusively departs. They don’t even wear name tapes,” Grupp added. “It is truly all about honoring the Veteran.”

Applications to join the MING Honor Guard must be sent to the Lansing Casualty Operations Office. Applicants must pass an Army physical fitness test and meet height/weight requirements. They must be E5 (sergeant) level or below and all applicants must be in good standing with their unit. Because duties include driving to a number of locations and carrying and discharging a firearm, applicants must pass a background investigation prior to appointment. Once accepted, new members are trained internally by certified senior staff and must complete a distance learning module. When those steps are complete and the new member has completed 10 missions, he or she is eligible for the MIARNG Honor Guard Ribbon.

Michigan currently has about 35 active Honor Guard members based in seven regional offices (Lansing, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Fort Custer near Battle Creek, Saginaw, Grayling and Marquette). They perform more than 3,000 funeral honors each year and they serve during other, service-related events based on availability.

• Date Taken: 05.11.2015
• Date Posted: 05.12.2015 14:01
• Story ID: 163040
• Location: LANSING, MI, US
• Hometown: LANSING, MI, US