N.C., Va. National Guard Soldiers train on military funeral honors basics

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Six North Carolina Army National Guard Soldiers and two Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers trained in the basics of military funeral honors during a course hosted by the Virginia National Guard Funeral Honors Program July 13-17 at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach.

Military Funeral Honors Level 1 training is a five-day course that prepares Soldiers to conduct professional military funeral honors in accordance with service traditions.

"It's been physically tiring being here, but it's been great getting to know the tiny details you usually miss when you're performing a service," said Spc. Arleni Santana. "Things like your posture, hand placement and all these little things."

Santana, an automated logistics specialist assigned to the North Carolina Army National Guard's Benson-based Alpha Company, 230th Brigade Support Battalion, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, has been performing funeral honors for more than a year. She spent six months performing services as an M-Day Soldier, and since October 2025, she has served full time on the funeral honors team.

"I never imagined doing this," she said. "But I am always happy and honored to be there, to be there performing services for the veteran. And I'm sure they're very happy for us to be there."

Spc. Thomas Lyndsay, a musician assigned to the Virginia Army National Guard's Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band, has been performing funeral ceremonies with the Virginia Guard's military funeral honors team for the past 18 months. Still, the training provided an important reminder of the proper way to carry out those duties.

"I think they do a phenomenal job with this course," he said. "I think with how much it's been beaten into our heads, I start noticing things on other Soldiers, too. You learn to tell when you're doing it wrong. You automatically fix yourself because now you know what right looks and feels like."

The reason for that rigorous training is evident when Soldiers perform a ceremony in the real world.

"Regardless of if the family knows what you're doing or not, you still have to meet that high standard," he explained. "At the end of the day, we show up and do the job to honor the veteran by performing it the right way."

Established in January 2007, the Virginia National Guard Military Funeral Honors Program consists of four teams located throughout the state that provide funeral details not only for National Guard Soldiers but also for veterans of the active Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard.

The program has performed more than 26,000 funeral services throughout the commonwealth and averages 150 services each month.

The Virginia Guard Military Funeral Honors Program hosts several training courses throughout the year for Soldiers from across the country.

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