Flag-folding ceremonies have no place during military honors

Local view: Flag-folding ceremonies have no place during military honors
The Department of Veterans Affairs overstepped by requesting that VFW and American Legion honor guards read 13-fold flag recitations or other “comparable” scripts upon a request from a family.
By: John Marshal, Duluth News Tribune


The Department of Veterans Affairs overstepped by requesting that VFW and American Legion honor guards read 13-fold flag recitations or other “comparable” scripts upon a request from a family.

First, honor guards represent the active military, not Veterans Affairs. Currently, honor guards provide rifle teams, buglers, pallbearers (at request), post vigils and oversight.

This recent request from Veterans Affairs is, in my opinion, audacious, especially when there is no meaning behind the folding of a flag. Flag-folding ceremonies were created to instill a sense of patriotism and are the opinions of their creators as to what flag folds could mean, not what they do mean. The U.S. Code and the active military do not recognize these scripts as official, and they should not.

Second, as captain of the Duluth Honor Guard, I am not in the business of making a family feel warm and fuzzy by doing a flag-folding ceremony. That can be left to the Americanism committees of the VFWs, American Legions or other veterans service organizations. I am there to provide the best possible military funeral honors service I can. It is my duty to take care of my men, to ensure protocol is adhered to and to make flag presentations.
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This is what the ceremony is like.

Uploaded by ewbcsound on Nov 11, 2008
Veteran's day ceremony at Ebenezer Welcome Baptist Church. Blue Ridge High School Air Force JROTC.