Military Funeral Honors

Emotional military funeral ceremonies showcasing honor guards, flag-draped caskets, and ceremonies for distinguished servicemen at Arlington National Cemetery.

Chief Master Sgt. Joann Bass, the nineteenth Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force, looks on as the United States Honor Guard lay a U.S. flag over the casket of the sixth Chief Master Sgt. of the AF James M. McCoy during his homegoing celebration held at the Omaha National Cemetery July 29. Chief McCoy served as the sixth chief master sergeant of the Air Force from 1979-1981.
Chief Master Sgt. Joann Bass, the nineteenth Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force, looks on as the United States Honor Guard lay a U.S. flag over the casket of the sixth Chief Master Sgt. of the AF James M. McCoy during his homegoing celebration held at the Omaha National Cemetery July 29. Chief McCoy served as the sixth chief master sergeant of the Air Force from 1979-1981.
160 assets in this story
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SAN PEDRO (May 28, 2022) Master Sgt. Javier Acfalle, from Dededo, Guam, with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, plants a flag above a veteran headstone at Green Hills Memorial Park during Los Angeles Fleet Week (LAFW), May 28, 2022. LAFW is an opportunity for the American public to meet their Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard teams and experience America's sea services. During fleet week, service members participate in various community service events, showcase capabilities and equipment to the community, and enjoy the hospitality of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas.
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Six Navy pallbearers, escorted by a color guard, carry the flag-draped coffin of LT. CMDR. Albert A. Schaufelberger to a waiting hearse. Schaufelberger was killed in San Salvador. Base: Naval Air Station, Oceana State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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040531-F-0681L-022. Base: Fargo State: North Dakota (ND) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: ARNG
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President William Jefferson Clinton bows his head in a moment of reflection after placing a wreath before the Tomb of the Unknowns during a Veterans Day ceremony. Base: Arlington National Cemetery State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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110402-N-3392P-010BLAKELY, Penn. (April 2, 2011) Chief Yeoman Carissa Pokorny Golden, left, noncommissioned officer in charge of Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Avoca, and Senior Chief Yeoman Joann Barnes, assigned to the Third Navy Expeditionary Logistics Regiment in Ft. Dix, N.J., lay a wreath on the gravesite of Loretta Perfectus Walsh, the first woman enlisted and the first female to reach the rank of chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy. NOSC Avoca honored Walsh by hosting a rededication and wreath laying ceremony.
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220917-N-PL946-1106 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 17, 2022) Chief Aviation Electronics Technician Jennifer Warzecha holds the ceremonial flag while performing as the flag bearer during a burial at sea ceremony aboard the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). During the ceremony, the cremated remains of 30 souls were committed to the sea in the Atlantic Ocean. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications and workups for a scheduled deployment this fall.
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U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Bill Kelly, the 42nd Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy, bows his head in prayer during the Academy's Wreaths Across America ceremony, Dec. 2, 2022. Each year, the ceremony carries out its mission to Remember - Honor - Teach by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery as well as more than 3,400 other locations worldwide.
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Caskets containing the remains of members of the 3rd Bn., 502nd Inf., 101st Airborne Div., fill a 437th Military Airlift Wing C-141B Starlifter aircraft. On December 12, 1985, 248 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion were killed in plane crash at Gander Airport, Newfoundland, Canada. They were returning to the United States after participating in peacekeeping duty with the Multi-national Force and Observers in the Sinai Desert. Base: Dover Air Force Base State: Delaware (DE) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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The US Air Force (USAF) pays tribute to the former Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF), John L. McLucas, at his funeral in Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), as the US Army caisson carries his remains. Base: Arlington National Cemetery State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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Soldiers from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), the U.S. Army Band, Pershings Own, and the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment Caisson Platoon conduct military funeral honors with funeral escort for U.S. Army Gen. Montgomery Meigs in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Jan. 25, 2022. Meigs served as the head of U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army from 1998 to 2002, where he commanded the NATO peacekeeping force in Bosnia. A 1967 graduate from the U.S. Military Academy, he commanded an armored cavalry unit in Vietnam and the 1st Armored Division in the Persian Gulf War. Meigs was named after his great-great-great granduncle who served during the Civil War as the Armys Quartermaster General and was the architect of Arlington National Cemetery. He is also buried in Section 1. Meigs spouse, Mary Meigs, received the U.S. flag from his service. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)
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September 11th remembrance ceremony held in front of NASA Research Park Bldg-17 (Lunar Science Institute) hosted by the American Legion, Post 881, Moffett Field. Step off to Amazing Grace - POW/MIA Detail; TSgt Robert Soua, Detail Commander, 129th Security Forces, TSgt Rachel Velasco, SSgt Susan Avalos, SSgt Alex Cohen, SSgt Elias Gonzalez
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HONOLULU (Jan. 29, 2021) Sailors assigned to Navy Region Hawaii and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) conduct a funeral for U.S. Navy Chief Machinists Mate Lada Smisek at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, Jan. 29, 2021. Smisek served at the Naval Ammunition Depot and Submarine Base in Cavite, Philippines, when Japanese forces invaded and resulted in thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members being taken prisoner and sent to prisoner of war camps. Smisek was among those reported captured after the surrender of Corregidor and held at the Cabanatuan POW camp until he died Sept. 28, 1942. Smisek was recently identified through DNA analysis by the DPAA forensic laboratory and laid to rest with full military honors.
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070204-A-8359B-012. State: Virgin Islands (VI) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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U.S. Marines with the Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Band perform during a change of command ceremony for Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268, Marine Aircraft Group 24, Marine Aircraft Group 24, aboard Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Dec. 8, 2022. Lt. Col. Vanessa Clark relinquished command of VMM-268 to Lt. Col. Brandon Pope.
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070204-A-8359B-006. State: Virgin Islands (VI) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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Marines pay their respect to 1st Lt. Scott J. Fleming and Sgt. Joe L. Wrightsman during a 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, memorial ceremony at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay chapel, Jan. 14, 2011. Wrightsman and Fleming died July 18 and Sept. 17, 2010 (respectively) supporting combat operations during 3/3's recent Afghanistan deployment.
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A woman salutes the flag-draped casket of U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 4 Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams, the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient, as he lays in honor at the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., July 14, 2022. Woody served 20 years in the United States Marine Corps and was awarded the militarys highest decoration for combat service, the Congressional Medal of Honor, by President Harry S. Truman in 1945. (Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Karis Mattingly)
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U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Navy Region Hawaii and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) fold a U.S. flag during an interment ceremony held at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, Oct. 12, 2022. DPAA and attending family members paid their respects and honored the life of U.S. Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Hubert P. Clement. Clement was assigned to the USS Oklahoma when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft during World War II. Clement was accounted for on Oct. 1, 2021, nearly 80 years after the attacks on Pearl Harbor.
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A member of the Utah National Guard Honor Guard presents the United States flag to a family member of Cpl. David Milano during his graveside service April 29, 2022, in Ogden, Utah. Milano went missing in action Dec. 2, 1950, during the Korean War. After 71 years, his remains have been repatriated to the United States and have been laid to rest on U.S. soil.
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A U.S. Army officer from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) prepares to present the National Flag to the next of kin during a full honors funeral for U.S. Army Air Forces Lt. Col. Addison E. Baker at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Sept. 14, 2022Baker, who was killed during World War II and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, was accounted for on April 8, 2022. In the summer of 1943, Baker was the commander of the 328th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, Baker was piloting a B-24 Liberator bomber during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest World War II bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. During its bombing run, his plane was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed, but not before he dropped his bombs on the target and avoided crashing into the other B-24s in his formation. Bakers remains were not identified following the cras
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SAN DIEGO (Sept. 11, 2012) Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Danielle Wentum and Hospitalman Marco Solarte, both assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), lift a wreath during a ceremony in remembrance of the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
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State Funeral of President Kennedy: Departure from the White House and Procession to the United States Capitol. Honor guard pallbearers secure the flag-draped casket of President John F. Kennedy on a horse-drawn caisson, prior to a funeral procession from the White House to the Capitol Building. Those observing from the steps include: Jacqueline Kennedy; Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy; Patricia Kennedy Lawford; Steve Smith; Director of the Peace Corps, R. Sargent Shriver; President Lyndon B. Johnson; Princess Lee Radziwill of Poland. Pallbearers include: Lance Corporal Jerry J. Diamond (USMC), Yeoman George A. Barnum (USCG), Lieutenant Samuel R. Bird (U.S. Army), Seaman Hubert Clark (USN), Sergeant James L. Felder (U.S. Army), Lance Corporal Timothy F. Cheek (USMC), Sergeant Richard E. Gaudreau (USAF), Seaman Larry B. Smith (USN), and Corporal Douglas A. Mayfield (U.S. Army). North Portico, White House, Washington, D.C. Spots along right edge of image are original to the negative
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Members of the US Air Force 86th Air Wing Honor Guard load the casket of a fallen sailor from USS COLE (DDG 67), into a hearse, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on October 13, 2000. The sailor was caught in the explosion during the bombing of Cole in the Yemen port city of Aden. Base: Ramstein Air Base State: Rheinland-Pfalz Country: Deutschland / Germany (DEU)
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U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Navy Region Hawaii and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) conduct an interment ceremony held at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, Oct. 12, 2022. DPAA and attending family members paid their respects and honored the life of U.S. Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Hubert P. Clement. Clement was assigned to the USS Oklahoma when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft during World War II. Clement was accounted for on Oct. 1, 2021, nearly 80 years after the attacks on Pearl Harbor.
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Soldiers assigned to the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), participate in a Joint Armed Forces Color Guard presentation during an Armed Forces Full Honors Wreath-laying ceremony, Sept. 15, 2022, at the grave sit of 27th President of the United States, William H. Taft, in Arlington National Cemetery, Va. During the ceremony, hosted by Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director, Army National Military Cemeteries, Maj. Gen. John H. Phillips, Military Deputy to Deputy Chief of Staff, G6, (IMA) laid a wreath to commemorate Tafts 165th birthday. (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. Laura Stephens)
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A joint service honor guard carries the flag draped remains of an airman from a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The airman was killed in a training accident in Kuwait on March 12 2001. Base: Ramstein Air Base State: Rheinland-Pfalz Country: Deutschland / Germany (DEU)
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Vice President Kamala Karris participates in a Presidential Armed Forces Full Honors Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during the 69th National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Nov. 11, 2022.
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Honor Guard pallbearers undrape a U.S. flag from the casket before the burial at Arlington National Cemetery of GEN Daniel (Chappie) James. The funeral was conducted in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at Catholic University. Base: Arlington State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Robinson, 768th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, services flight chief, explains how to properly drape an American flag over a human remains transfer case during mortuary affairs training at AB 101, Niger, April 4, 2023. Airmen trained in caring for the deceased service member, to include properly carrying the human remains transfer case and draping the flag.
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DA-SC-87-01539. Base: Fort Jackson State: South Carolina (SC) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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Members of the Nellis AFB Honor Guard fold the U.S. flag at a funeral for a retired Navy WWII veteran. The team is second to only the Air Force Honor Guard at Arlington National Cemetery for performing details in a year. Base: Nellis Air Force Base State: Nevada (NV) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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U.S. Army Major Erick B. Linzmayer, and local national civilian Ursula Suttner receive retirement ceremony at Grafenwöhr, Germany, Dec. 8, 2022. Mrs. Suttner has worked as a DoD civilian for 45 years, and Maj. Linzmayer has served in the U.S. Army for 24 years.
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Charles Alexander, Jr., superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery, presents an ANC command coin to Belgian Chief of Defence Adm. Michel Hofman at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., April 5, 2023. Hofmann was at ANC to participate in a Public Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Hofman also returned three recently re-ribboned Croix de Guerre Belgian medals which were originally presented to the Unknown Soldiers.
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Cincinnati Bengals players get a lesson in flag folding from the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base honor guard, June 3, 2022, during a visit to the base. Bengals players ate lunch with Wright-Patt Airmen, toured a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, visited the explosive ordinance disposal unit and held a football skills camp with school-aged children.
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U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Navy Region Hawaii and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) conduct an interment ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, Nov. 9, 2022. Members of DPAA and attending family members paid their respects and honored the life of U.S. Navy Fireman 3rd Class Clarence A. Blaylock, who was assigned to the USS Oklahoma when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft during World War II. Blaylock was accounted for on July 29, 2019, nearly 80 years after the attacks on Pearl Harbor.
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A sailor assigned to U.S. Navy Region Hawaii holds a U.S. flag during an internment ceremony for U.S. Navy Water Tender 1st Class Milo E. Phillips at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, August 4, 2022. Phillips was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which capsized after sustaining multiple hits from Japanese aircraft and torpedoes, causing the deaths of more than 400 crew members on Dec. 7, 1941, at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Stewart was recently identified through DNA analysis by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) forensic laboratory and laid to rest with full military honors.
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France Vice Chief of Defense Gen. Eric Autellet (left) and Maj. Gen. Allan M. Pepin (right), commanding general, Joint Forces Headquarters - National Capital Region participate in an Armed Forces Full Honors Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Jan. 20, 2023.
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A memorial for Senior Airman Melanie Locklear, 305th Air Mobility Wing maintainer, is held at the McGuire Air Force Base Chapel on Nov. 30, 2022. The memorial was attended by friends, family, and colleagues where awards and decorations were presented to her spouse by Lt. Col. Matt Ratcliffe, 305th Maintenance Squadron commander.
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021101-F-0158T-002. Base: Mcchord Air Force Base State: Washington (WA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: AMC
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Belgian Chief of Defence Adm. Michel Hofman returns three Croix de Guerre Belgian medals to Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., April 5, 2023. The medals were originally each presented to the Unknown Soldiers from WWI, WWII and the Korean War. Hofman had requested that their ribbons be replaced since they had faded due to age. This was accomplished by the 3d US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) in coordination with ANC Historians.
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030202-F-0558K-088. Base: Barksdale Air Force Base State: Louisiana (LA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A new 9/11 memorial was dedicated in front of Fire Station 1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Kennedy Fire and Rescue Services commemorated the 11th anniversary of 9/11 with a ceremony that included a minute of silence at 10:28 a.m., which was the moment of collapse of the north tower of the World Trade Center. Kennedy center-wide emergency units dispatched by Fire Control engaged in one-minute sirens, the new memorial was dedicated and the Honor Guard performed a flag-folding ceremony.
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LIBERTYVILLE, Il. (May 18, 2022) Master-at-Arms 1st Class Daniel Arroyo, from Zion, Il., performs a flag-folding ceremony for a Navy veteran during a funeral service. Navy military funerals are conducted to recognize the proud American tradition of honorable service which Navy men and women have given to their country. Our Nation regards the memorializing of its military deceased as an honorable and sacred obligation.
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British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly participates in a Public Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Jan. 18, 2023. U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)
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Army Sgt. Howard R. Belden, 19, of Hague, New York, killed during the Korean War, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, May 12, 2022. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency accounted for Belden on Oct. 14, 2021. In attendance at the funeral was Belden's sister, Barbara Curtis, and three of his brothers, Arthur, Daniel, and Arnold.
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Soldiers assigned to the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) provide ceremonial support for the National Memorial Day Observance at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, May 30, 2022. President Joseph R. Biden participated in the Presidential Armed Forces Full Honor wreath-laying ceremony hosted by Maj. Gen. Allan M. Pepin, commanding general, Joint Task Force-National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington.
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Family, friends and fellow Airmen attend the funeral of Col. David Banholzer, a 14th Presidential Pilot, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Dec. 7, 2016. Banholzer, from Green Bay, Wis., commanded the Presidential Airlift Group at the 89th Airlift Wing, and was a husband and father of two daughters. He died from Glioblastoma Muliforme, a rare form of brain cancer, in his southern Maryland home surrounded by his family on Nov. 4, 2016.
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Two wreath bearers one US Marine Corps (USMC) Marine and one US Navy (USN) Sailor stand at parade rest besides the memorial wreath staged at the Kaneohe Klipper Ceremony, on December 7, 2004, at Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) Kaneohe Bay. (Substandard image). Base: Mcbh, Kaneohe Bay State: Hawaii (HI) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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U.S Army honor guard Soldiers unfold an American flag during an unaccompanied funeral service for the remains of five veterans at the Fort Richardson National Cemetery on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Nov. 30, 2022. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs works jointly with the federally recognized non-profit organization Missing in American Project in locating, identifying and interring the unclaimed cremated remains of veterans with full honors and ceremony. (Alaska National Guard photo by Victoria Granado)
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060329-N-1027J-021. Base: Pearl Harbor State: Hawaii (HI) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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U.S. Army National Guard Lt. Col. David Eckenrode, Commander, 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artilley Regiment (FAR), 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), New Jersey Army National Guard (NJARNG), looks at the 20th Maine Civil War Monument at Little Round Top, June 12, 2022, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pa. The 3rd Battalion, 112th FAR conducted a staff ride focused on the use of field Artillery during the Civil War. Staff rides or battle field studies are conducted to identify lessons learned from historic battles.
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A contingent from the U.S. Military Academy participated in the commemoration of former President Franklin D. Roosevelts 142nd birthday Jan. 30 in Hyde Park, N.Y. The annual wreath laying event celebrates the life and service of the former president, which is held in the rose garden at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, hosted by the National Park Service at the home of the FDR National Historic Site. USMA Dean of the Academic Board Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves placed a Presidential Wreath on the behalf of President Joseph R. Biden in honor of FDR at the event. Reeves also made brief remarks at the ceremony.
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U.S. service members and civilians assigned to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and the U.S. Embassy participate in a repatriation ceremony as part of an underwater recovery mission to locate missing service members at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Oct. 14, 2022. DPAA personnel arrived to conduct an underwater excavation operation in an effort to find a U.S. aircraft crew lost over Papua New Guinea during World War II. DPAA's mission is to achieve the fullest possible accounting for missing and unaccounted-for U.S. personnel to their families and our nation.
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Ceremony at Department of Interior South Building marking adoption by Department employees of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and 10th Mountain Division as wartime focal points for volunteer activities on behalf of military family members
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This is a photo illustration created at the Ike Skelton Training Site, Jefferson City, Missouri, May 27, 2022. This illustration was created to honor the significance of Memorial Day. (Missouri National Guard illustration by Spc. Rose Di Trolio) (This image was created using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.)
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Day of Remembrance. Columbia astronaut William McCools family representative Jane Tani wipes off the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial after a wreath laying ceremony that was part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration.
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USA veteran funeral, woman and sad to touch casket, family and flag with mourning, depression and respect. Widow, people and army service with coffin, burial and crying for war hero in Philadelphia