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Honoring Veterans



Veteran Funeral Services

At John A. Gentleman Mortuaries & Crematory, we're proud to do our part in honoring our country's veterans. Our duty is to provide you and your family with professional and dignified assistance during your time of need, and we promise to support you in honoring your loved one for their dedication and selfless service.

Our veteran funeral services include anything your family needs to properly honor your loved one’s life.

What a Veteran Funeral Consists Of

Eligible veterans can receive military funeral honors free of charge. Their eligibility will be determined by their DD-214 or discharge papers.

 

The following qualify for military funeral honors:

  • Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve.
  • Former military members who served on active duty and departed under honorable conditions.
  • Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve and departed under honorable conditions.
  • Former military members discharged from the Selected Reserve due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.

 

How They Are Honored

Depending on your loved one’s eligibility, they can receive a variety of veteran burial benefits and veteran death benefits. At a military funeral of an eligible veteran, they are entitled to the folding and presenting of the American flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps by a bugler or recording. An honor guard detail that includes at least two members of the Armed Forces performs these specific honors. One of the members needs to be a representative from the military branch the veteran served in. This will be the person who presents the flag at the service.

 

Standard Honor Military Funerals

Traditional elements and honors can include the following:

  • A Military Chaplain for family members
  • Flag Presentation Service by the chaplain of the American Legion
  • A Final Salute at the gravesite

Full Honor Military Funerals

Full elements and honors includes standard honors and the following:

  • Depending on their rank, a 21 Gun Salute
  • The US Flag draped over the casket and given to the next of kin following services
  • The Playing of Taps by a lone bugler or audio recording

Veteran Death Benefits

Along with coordinating veteran funeral services and the military funeral honors that come along with them, we can also help you contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to arrange for:

  • A Presidential Memorial Certificate. This is a certificate expressing the nation's recognition of the veteran's service. The veteran's name is inscribed and the certificate bears the signature of the president. Certificates are issued in the name of honorably discharged, deceased veterans. Contact us for assistance in applying for a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and we would be happy to guide you through the process.
  • Headstones or Markers. The VA provides headstones and markers for the graves of veterans anywhere in the world and for eligible dependents of veterans buried in national, state veteran or military cemeteries.
  • Memorial Plots. If an eligible veteran's remains are not available for burial, the VA will provide a plot and headstone or marker in a national cemetery for memorialization. If you wish to place the memorial in a cemetery other than a national cemetery, the VA will provide the headstone or marker but not the plot itself.
  • Burial in a VA National Cemetery. This includes the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave,a grave box, and perpetual care.
  • Veteran Burial Benefits. Some families may receive a reimbursement of burial expenses. To see if you qualify, and to learn more about the different levels of potential reimbursement, please review the Guide to VA Burial Allowances.

 

Additional Resources

Please visit the following links for detailed information about the options available for honoring service members and other aspects of military funerals:

To learn more about our veteran funeral services, contact us. Let’s work together to honor your veteran with the funeral service they deserve.

John A. Gentleman Mortuaries and Crematory
Funeral Home Serving Bellevue & Omaha, Nebraska

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