Honoring Those Who Served
The rendering of Military Funeral Honors is a way to show the Nation's deep gratitude to those who, in times of war and peace, have faithfully defended our country. This ceremonial paying of respect is the final demonstration a grateful Nation can provide to the veteran's families. The tradition of providing Military Funeral Honors, in some form, began in ancient Greece and Rome. The funeral honors protocol of today traces its roots to these ancient ceremonies as well as to historical American experiences.
Arlington National Cemetery Facts
How do Funeral Directors request a Military Funeral Honors Detail?
The Military Funeral Honors Directory is included in the Military Funeral Honors Kit. This Directory is for the exclusive use of the funeral director. It contains points of contact by Service and state or region. Using the Directory, funeral directors can locate the appropriate point of contact for their area. Please note that requests are based on the final interment site location, not the funeral service location, if they are different. If there is no final disposition site, then funeral honors may be rendered at the memorial service location.
A Department of Defense, toll-free telephone number, 1-877-MIL-HONR (1-877-645-4667), is also available for routing requests in the United States to the appropriate Service and geographic area coordinator. This computerized system is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The toll-free number is designed for use only by funeral directors. There may be times when the Service point of contact will not be available. If that is the case, an answering machine will record your request and you will be contacted as soon as possible by a Service representative. Funeral Directors in the U.S. Territories, who do not have access to the toll-free number, may work directly with the Military Service points of contact in their Territory.
How much notice should be provided for the honors request?
The Services request at least 48 hours in order to organize the funeral honors detail.
What if the family wants to learn more about Military Funeral Honors?
An Internet web site is available. It is located at: https://www.dmdc.osd.mil and may be accessed by the general public. This web site is a source of detailed information with direct links to related military and veteran sites.
How do I obtain updated Directory information?
Updates to the Military Funeral Honors Directory will be maintained on the web site and may be retrieved by use of the funeral director's access code found in the Introduction section of the Directory.
Who is eligible?