Friday, November 21, 2014
What is it?
The Army National Guard (ARNG) Military Funeral Honors program renders professional military funeral honors, in accordance with service tradition, to all eligible veterans when requested by an authorized family member through a cooperative effort with Parent Services, Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs), Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Center (CMAOC), Casualty Assistance Centers (CACs) and communities across the nation. The Army provides ongoing support to Soldiers, Veterans, and families through the Military Funeral Honors (MFH) program.
The ARNG Military Funeral Honors program provides burial and memorial honors for servicemembers and veterans in 52 of 54 states and territories by, in accordance with service tradition, to all eligible veterans when requested by an authorized family member.
What has the ARNG done?
The ARNG MFH program is established in 52 of 54 states and territories and has conducted over one million MFH honors missions since 2000. The ARNG program covers vast regions of the country that are difficult for the active component to cover with limited resources. The Army has increasingly depended on the ARNG to develop and sustain the program nationwide. The ARNG trains the Guard MFH team members to the ARNG program’s professional ceremonial standards, established in conjunction with the Army’s Old Guard, to certify Soldiers as MFH team members and trainers.
What continued efforts does the ARNG have planned for the future?
To ensure efficiencies across the total Army, the ARNG MFH program will continue to serve a geographic majority of the U.S. and modernize the MFH database application which supports mission records and mission planning.
Additionally, the ARNG training program at the PEC has certified over 500 Soldiers since FY06 and is transitioning to state based trainer certification. The MFH Train the Trainer (T3T) responsibility will be realigned from the ARNG MFH program office to the 52 state MFH programs
Why is this important to the Army?
In fiscal year 2014, the ARNG supported over 125,000 MFHs and in 2013 supported over 134,000 veterans and service members. In fiscal year 2015, the ARNG will support an estimated 123,000 MFHs. The ARNG conducts 86 percent of all MFHs for the Army and approximately 60 percent of all DoD MFHs.
Resources:
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