As old soldiers die, military struggles to provide funeral honors

Spc. Benjamin Falvey, a member of a military funeral honors detail, waits to play 'Taps'

May 29, 2000
Web posted at: 10:51 p.m. EDT (0251 GMT)

In this story: Mission mandated by law 'Limited bugler inventory' 'It is expensive to do this' RELATED STORIES, SITES

By CNN Interactive Senior Correspondent Beth Nissen

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (CNN) -- Harold Bragg never talked about what he did in World War II. After he died early this month at the age of 84, his family found his Army enlistment and discharge papers: He had served in the Philippines, running a communications and message center. He made sergeant, won a few commendations, and came home on Christmas Eve of 1945, to raise a family and live out a modest life.

VIDEO CNN's Beth Nissen looks at the rising number of requests for military funeral honors. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     INTERACTIVE SPECIAL U.S. Veteran honors -- a Memorial Day guide     GALLERY Day is done: A soldier is laid to rest     RESOURCES A brief history of 'Taps'     AUDIO Click here to play 'Taps' 1.4MB/35 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     ALSO Horsepower drives Memorial Day weekend events across the U.S. President Clinton calls for Moment of Remembrance     MESSAGE BOARD The U.S. military

"He didn't participate in any heroic battles," said his daughter-in-law, Fran Bragg. "But at a critical juncture in human history, he helped save the world."

In recognition of his service, Bragg's family asked for military honors at his funeral -- and became part of one of the U.S. military's most challenging current missions.

In an era of military downsizing and base closings, every branch of the armed services is struggling to provide funeral honors to a legion of old soldiers -- elderly World War II veterans, who are dying at the rate of more than 1,000 a day.

"We owe them a tremendous debt," said Gen. Kathy Frost, the adjutant general of the U.S. Army. "And rendering honors at their funeral is just one small payment of the debt we owe our veterans."

Mission mandated by law

While the military has a long tradition of providing funeral honors on a voluntary basis, a new law now requires it to do so. As of January 1, 2000, the military must provide a minimum of two uniformed service members to fold and present the flag, and play "Taps" (1.4MB/35 sec. AIFF or WAV sound), at every funeral where military honors are requested. At least one member of the funeral honors detail must be of the same branch of service as the deceased.

The new law allows reserve and National Guard units to help with funeral honors duty -- but it is still a strain on the armed services. "It's a challenge, a real challenge for the military to do this," said Alphonso Maldon, undersecretary of defense. "Last year at this time, we'd provided honors for 14,000. This year, we've already gone over 20,000."

As the World War II generation has aged, deaths of veterans have increased -- from 456,000 in 1989 to 564,000 last year. In that same period, nearly 100 U.S. military bases closed. "That means you've got less personnel to do funeral honors, or anything else," said Maldon.

No branch of the military is facing a greater challenge than the Army -- the largest of the armed services, and the one in which the largest number of World War II veterans served: Of the 16.5 million Americans who served in World War II, 8.3 million served in the Army, which at the time included what is now the Air Force.

Staff Sgt. Dietrich Chapple salutes in honor of a WWII veteran

The Army has divided the continental United States into 27 area commands that coordinate military funerals. "If you look at a map, you can see that we don't have installations in every geographic area of the country," said Frost. "And yet, we have to find a way to reach out and provide honors at the funerals of our veterans wherever they may be."

It's often a long reach: Fort Knox, in Kentucky, for example, is responsible for providing military honors as far away as northern Michigan. The large population of army veterans in Southern California is serviced from Fort Huachuca, near Tucson, Arizona.

When Sgt. Bragg's family in Jacksonville requested military honors at his funeral, their request was relayed to Fort Stewart, near Savannah, Georgia -- 150 miles away. Fort Stewart covers an area extending from southern Georgia to the Florida Keys -- 800 miles away.

Funeral honor guards from Fort Stewart routinely drive three to four hours to funerals, most of them in Florida. "I'd say 50 percent of the funerals are 250 to 300 miles away," said Bobby Shealey, chief of the Fort Stewart funeral honors office, which has handled almost 450 requests so far this year.

For the most distant funerals, especially those called in to the Army on only a day's notice, Fort Stewart tries to get local Army Reserve and National Guard units to fill in. But the Army base has handled 90 percent of the requests itself, using six full honors teams on constant standby.

The honors team folds the American flag

The honors teams are drawn from troops on base; soldiers rotate in for a month of service at a time. Younger soldiers are often wary of serving at first, but most come to appreciate the assignment.

"The next of kin, it shows them that the Army hasn't forgotten about them, that we still care," said Pvt. Damian Hurtado, a medic assigned to funeral honors detail for the month of May.

"I would want it for me when I pass," said Spc. Qasim Muwwakkil, another member of the funeral honors pool. "I would want to know that somebody actually came out to see me."

Hurtado and Muwwakkil were two members of the honors team who made the nearly three-hour drive from Fort Stewart to Bragg's funeral in Jacksonville. Led by Staff Sgt. Dietrich Chapple, they made up the flag-fold team: At graveside, the team folds the flag that drapes the casket and then presents the folded flag to the next of kin.

'Limited bugler inventory'

A fourth man made the long drive with them: Spc. Benjamin Falvey -- a bugler. Fort Stewart sends a bugler to play "Taps" whenever one is available -- but that is only about one-quarter of the time.

Falvey is one of only five trumpet or cornet players on the base. He has played "Taps" at almost 400 funerals over the last two years. "Sometimes we'll have two funerals in one day, and that gets a little tiring," he said. "But that's my mission in the Army -- to provide "Taps" for fallen or passed-on soldiers."

What Pentagon officials refer to as the "limited bugler inventory" extends to other branches of the armed services: According to Maldon, there are only 500 buglers in the entire U.S. military.

Buglers are in such short supply that it is becoming the norm at veterans' funerals to use a high-quality recording of "Taps" instead. Last year, the Department of Defense made a compact disk of "Taps", recorded by a bugler at Arlington National Cemetery; the CDs of "Taps" were distributed to funeral directors nationwide. "The priority is to find a bugler," said Frost. "But if necessary, they'll use the recording."

Veterans groups say the recording is an acceptable substitute, especially since the bugler at a military funeral traditionally plays "Taps" from a distance. "The concept of the bugler is not to be seen, but just to hear "Taps"," said Vincent Barile, deputy undersecretary of the National Cemetery Administration at the Department of Veterans Affairs. "So in reality, no one should know if there's a person there or not."

Adds Frost, "Since it's played in the distance and no bugler is seen, the tone, the honor, is just the same."

But many in the military say it isn't. "The family, they know you're playing a disk," said Chapple.

At Bragg's funeral, bugler Falvey played "Taps" from behind a large tree, 50 yards away from the small circle of mourners around the casket. The mourners couldn't see the bugler, but as the familiar notes sounded sadly through the hot, humid air, they knew he was there.

"With the live presence, it's more meaningful," said Fran Bragg. "You feel more of a connection and a recognition. It's hard to be recognized by a CD player."

The folded flag, presented to next of kin, 'on behalf of a grateful nation'

Many who work in military funeral honors offices agree, and they strive to enlist volunteer trumpet players from local posts of the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars, from music schools -- even from area high school bands. But it's difficult to find volunteers who can play at daytime funerals -- and they rarely are able to travel.

Military officials say the use of a recording is, however regrettable, the only practical way for "Taps" to be played at every military funeral.

And the number of those funerals is expected to grow sharply over the next decade. According to the VA, 9.3 million American veterans are 65 or older. Five million of them are veterans of World War II, who will be aging into their 80s over the next five years. Close in age are the 4 million veterans of the Korean War.

"The peak year for veteran deaths will be approximately 2010 -- about 620,000 veteran deaths," said Barile.

And by 2015, the nation's 8 million Vietnam vets will be 65 or older. Military officials expect a second peak of veteran deaths around 2030.

Not everyone eligible for military funeral honors asks for them; at present only about 35 percent do. But requests are expected to rise as more veterans and their families learn that they are entitled.

"Word will spread," said Frost. "Neighbor will see neighbor getting honors and will also request them." Already, the Army says requests for military honors are up almost 40 percent this year over last. Military-wide, the Pentagon expects as many as 250,000 requests for funeral honors this year.

That raises concerns: About how the military can maintain full training and battle readiness for the future -- and still honor those who served in the past.

'It is expensive to do this'

Part of the concern is the cost. "It is expensive to do this," said Col. Bill Betson, garrison commander at Fort Stewart. The Department of Defense has budgeted $18 million to support funeral honors in 2001; a year-end audit of money spent this year will tell planners if that is enough to cover travel and support costs of military funeral honors details.

Military bases will also be asked to report on how they are balancing the funeral honors mission with their other important missions. Fort Stewart, for example, maintains the nation's only rapid-response heavy machinery company, and must be ready to fly tanks and trucks anywhere in the world within hours.

President Clinton pays tribute to WWII veterans in Washington on Memorial Day

"We're also preparing a significant portion of the division to go to Bosnia in September and October, to spend either six months or a year there," said Betson. "Certainly we have other things to do, but I'm not sure they're more important than keeping faith with those soldiers who served before us."

Especially, say many in the military, those soldiers who served in World War II. "The prosperity we have, the quality of life we have -- they gave us that," said Frost. "At their final hour, it's important for us to say thank you. Thank you for your service, thank you for representing us so well."

At the close of Bragg's funeral, his family and friends lined up to shake the hands of the men from Fort Stewart who had come so far to convey the thanks of a grateful nation to one old soldier.

"I cannot tell you what it meant to have them here," said Fran Bragg. "It was a recognition, and a thank you, and a remembrance."

Mission accomplished.

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