Military funeral
Military funeral
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Military funeral

A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards of honor, the firing of volley shots as a salute, drumming and other military elements, with a flag draping over the coffin.

Canadian military funerals involve many rituals seen in other parts of the world. The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery use a 25-pounder gun and limber as the funeral vehicle. Muffled drums accompany the graveside processional. The deceased's headdress, insignia and medals are borne on a velvet cushion into the funeral service. Volleys are fired over the grave when the body is interred. Countries in the Commonwealth duplicate the British military drill and ceremony. The Canadian funeral described above typifies the funerary service. The bugle tunes Last Post and The Rouse are played as the body is interred.[citation needed]

Despite being a police force and not a branch of the military, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was given battle honours as if were a dragoon regiment by King George V in 1921 in recognition of its members who served in the Boer and Great Wars. The RCMP therefore performs military-style "regimental funerals" for members and officers killed in the line of duty and retired members and officers with exceptional records of service.

An RCMP regimental funeral will typically include a procession, a church service or public service, and either an interment or graveside ceremony for burials or chapel ceremony for cremations. The procession includes a charger (a riderless horse), a bearer party commander, eight casket bearers, an insignia bearer if there are insignia to be borne, two headdress bearer, honorary pallbearers, a gun carriage or hearse. Dress is "review order" (Red Serge and Stetson). The RCMP's guidon may be present and if so is draped on a military drum for the procession. The casket may be draped with the national flag of Canada, the Union Jack, or the RCMP ensign. Other police forces in Canada also refer to funerals for their officers in this way, as "regimental funerals", despite not, in fact, being military regiments even ceremonially.

In Chilean military funerals, the German song "Ich hatt' einen Kameraden" is sung in its Spanish version ("Yo tenía un camarada"). The casket may or may not be horse-drawn on a caisson. A bugler sounds the final honors during interment.

When the coffin enters the tomb, a fireteam executes a salvo. If for a general or flag officer, the 1st Artillery Regiment "Tacna" fires a three-volley gun salute.

In Germany, the coffin is covered by a "Bundesdienstflage" (Federal service flag) the eagle facing to the right, looking to the head of the deceased. At the level of the head of the deceased, a headdress (helmet, cap, mountain cap, beret), opening downwards, shield/edge pointing to the head of the coat of arms eagle is attached to the coffin. Since, according to German ceremonial, the coffin is lowered into the grave enveloped in the flag, a second flag is carried separately for the purpose of handing it over to the family. Ludwig Uhland's song "Ich hatt' einen Kameraden" is an integral part of a military funeral. It is played when the coffin is lowered into the grave, military personnel will perform a salute.

In Indonesia, military funerals are generally given only either towards retired personnel of the Indonesian National Armed Forces who served in domestic operations or in international peacekeeping operations or retired guerrillas and/or soldiers of the Indonesian National Revolution, especially those holding the "Bintang Gerilya (Star of the Guerrilla)" order, or to active personnel killed while on active duty service. Exceptional politicians and Ministers have the option for such a funeral, but most opt for a more intimate religious one. During the occasion of a state funeral, it is obligatory for a military funeral to be conducted, preceded by a final religious service before the funeral march begins. A Three-volley salute is the norm done by a squad seven soldiers occasionally a mixture of Armed Forces or Police personnel dependent on their career. The Honour drill team surrounding the burial site is a platoon-size or company formation and the larger the platoon or company, the more illustrious the departed. Prayers are led by representatives of the person's religious faith. Similar traditions also exist in the Indonesian National Police.

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