"It a our national obligation to demonstrate the country's gratitude to those who, in times of roar and peace, have faithfully defended our country. The rendering of Military Funeral Honors for our nation's veterans is our final tribute to those who have made personal sacrifices in defense of our nation. " (Office of Secretary of Defense)

"Honoring Those Who Served" is a Department of Defense program for providing dignified Military Funeral Honors to veterans who have defended our Nation. While Military Funeral Honors is a long-standing tradition within the Armed Forces, this program is in response to a new law governing funeral honors for eligible veterans. The Department of Defense has implemented changes to comply with the new law and has launched a series of efforts to enhance and improve the quality of Military Funeral Honors for veterans. "Honoring Those Who Served" represents an important step forward in honoring our Nation's veterans.

Background. Beginning in 1998, the Department of Defense worked closely with the Veterans Service Organizations and Funeral Directors Associations to determine how best to deliver Military Funeral Honors to all eligible veterans whose families request them. This has been and will continue to be a challenging task given the significant military manpower and demographic changes that have occurred over the past decade. The end of the Cold War led to significant military force reductions. As of 1999, the active duty force level has dropped 33% -from 2.1 million members to 1.4 million. The Nation also reduced the size of the Reserve force; from 1.2 million members to 900,000 - a 25% decrease. Today, Department of Defense deployments and commitments have created a higher operating tempo than before the end-of the Cold War. As these force reductions were taking place, the number of veteran deaths was increasing dramatically. In 1989, the Department of Veterans Affairs counted 459,000 deaths. By the year 2008, the VA projects that number will increase" to 620,000 annually, or an average of 1,700 funerals a day. This situation has led the Department of Defense to work with Veterans Service Organizations and Funeral Directors Associations to address the issue of Military Funeral Honors Law. On October 5, 1999, President Clinton signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act, Public Law 105-261. Section 578 of the Act reflects the extensive deliberations conducted on Military Funeral Honors over the past year. The law now includes the following:

• A basic Military Funeral Honors ceremony consisting of the folding and presentation of the flag-and the playing of Taps, for every eligible veteran upon request.

• A funeral honors detail to perform this ceremony shall consist of two or more uniformed members of the Armed Forces, with at least one member from the Service in which the deceased served.

Authority to reimburse members of Veterans Service Organizations and other authorized organizations for expenses when they participate with the military in the delivery of Military Funeral Honors. These individuals are covered for purposes of liability and workers compensation.

• Pays Reserve component members an allowance of $50/day and provides retirement points, which are allowed to accrue above the annual 75-point cap, for performing honors details. Covers Reserve component members for liability and authorizes reimbursement for their travel over 50 miles.

Funeral Directors Kit. The Funeral Directors Associations, working with the Department of Defense, recommended the development of a kit to assist Funeral Directors in obtaining information on how to obtain Military Funeral Honors. The Department has developed such a kit and is sending it to all licensed Funeral Directors and to Veterans Service Organization headquarters. The kit contains:

• A Military Service. Directory providing telephone numbers for every state and county to arrange for Military Funeral Honors.

• A Military Funeral Honors Brochure, which highlights the basic elements of the funeral honors ceremony, defines eligibility and contains other relevant information on Military Funeral Honors.

• A list of Frequently Asked Questions providing answers to questions families may ask Funeral Directors about Military Funeral Honors.

• Instructional brochures on how to fold the flag for families who just want a flag without the ceremonial folding and presentation.

• A Compact Disc of "Taps" for situations where the family only wants the playing of "Taps" at the burial without the funeral honors detail.

Toll Free Telephone Number. This effort focuses on making it easier to request Military Funeral Honors for Deceased Veterans. The Department of Defense will establish a toll free line (1877-MIL -HONR)) for use by Funeral Directors to request honors. This system will be in operation by January 1, 2000. By using this number, Funeral Directors can reach the regional military offices to arrange for Military Funeral Honors ceremonies. The toll free line will provide Funeral Directors with a single point of contact to obtain the necessary information rather than calling various places. This will reduce the time spent by Funeral Directors to obtain the information they need to honor families' requests for Military Funeral Honors. At the recommendation of members of Veterans Service Organizations, the Department has designed the toll free number for Funeral Directors only. Family members should work with their -Funeral Directors if they desire Military Funeral Honors.

"1hps" Compact Disc. . Due to a limited number of buglers in the Military Services, a recorded version of "Taps" is often used. Based on comments that some recorded versions of "Taps" are of poor quality, the Department of Defense arranged to record the playing of "Taps" at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day 1999. This version of "Taps" will be recorded on a compact disc to ensure superior quality playback. There will be wide distribution of the "Taps" compact disc to include all military units, Funeral Directors and Veterans Service Organization headquarters from which their members may request copies.

Veterans Service Organization Participation. The National Defense

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 allows reimbursement -of expenses for members of Veterans Service, Organizations and other organizations that train with and participate in the delivery of Military Funeral Honors with the military. For example, an organization might augment the ceremony by providing a firing party. This voluntary assistance would be in addition to the services provided by the Military Funeral Honors detail. If there are members of an organization in the area who may have an interest in assisting in the Military Funeral Honors ceremony, they or their organization should contact their local military units. At this time, a final decision on the development of a reimbursement policy for veterans' service organization participation is delayed through Fiscal Year 2000.

Funeral Directors. The Funeral Directors are a key to the success of the Department's initiatives to improve the delivery of Military Funeral Honors for veterans. The Funeral Director's under-: standing of how to obtain the honors, use the toll free phone system to obtain honors, and awareness that only the Funeral Director should request honors, will Significantly support the entire effort. The cooperation and support of the Nation's Funeral Directors in this process are essential for the successful delivery of Military Funeral Honors for those who have faithfully served their country.

The freedom this Nation cherishes is a credit to the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces. The Department's goal is to provide professional and meaningful Military Funeral Honors for every eligible veteran recognizing their contributions to this freedom and the sacrifices they and their families have made for this Nation.

If there are any questions or concerns about the implementation of the Military Funeral Honors program, please contact the National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission.