Veterans’ Organizations Can Receive Free Ceremonial Ammunition

By JMC Public and Congressional Affairs OfficeApril 29, 2022

(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL.--The U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command, headquartered at Rock Island Arsenal, provides blank ammunition and clips to American Legion posts, Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, Disabled American Veterans chapters, as well as other veterans’ organizations, free of charge, to perform military funeral honors and to use at parades and other events.

To order and receive the blank ammunition and/or clips, the veterans’ organization must first have weapons issued through the ceremonial rifle program at the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command in Warren, Michigan. Organizations that use privately-owned weapons or borrow weapons are not eligible to receive ammunition in this program. And only organization officers can request the blank ammunition and/or clips.

The Joint Munitions Command is the Department of Defense’s expert in ammunition. The blank ammunition is produced at JMC’s Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri. The plant makes more than one billion rounds of small arms ammunition each year for the U.S. military, other government agencies, and NATO allies, including all types of 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm and .50-caliber ammunition.

Providing ammunition for ceremonies is a traditional mission for JMC. Since the end of World War II, the Army has been supplying ceremonial ammunition to veterans’ organizations to conduct military honors for their fallen comrades.

“The busiest time of the year is before Memorial Day,” said Telacy Biles, JMC’s point of contact for the ceremonial ammunition program. “With all of the checks and balances of this program, I tell organization officers that it’s best to start the application process very early.”

To learn more about the ceremonial ammunition program, contact Telacy Biles, toll free, at 877-233-2515, via Fax at 309-782-7292 or email at usarmy.ria.jmc.mbx.carg@army.mil.

In addition, a video that describes the ceremonial rifle ammunition ordering process can be viewed at the American Legion National Head Quarter’s website at www.legion.org.

For more information about the ceremonial rifle program, contact TACOM by email at usarmy.detroit.tacom.mbx.ilsc-donations@army.mil.

The ceremonial ammunition and rifle program is conducted in accordance with Title 10, United States Code § 4683 (as implemented by Army Regulation 700-131).