THE HONOR OF A VA BURIAL

Many of you know that my father passed away April 12th of this year. Without a lot of money set aside we researched ways to save on funeral expenses and were blessed to find that the VA offers many money saving options for veterans. My father was in the United States Navy back in the early 1970's and served on the USS Ray SSN-653 a Sturgeon-class attack submarine. We found that Veterans are eligible for a free VA burial at any Veteran cemetery and by contacting the VA we also learned that spouses and disabled children can also be buried with the veteran in the VA cemeteries.

The ceremony you will never forget

My family and I are so thankful for the blessing that the VA provided in covering the expenses and honoring my father the way that they did. The ceremony was absolutelybeautifulproviding the family and the veteran honor and dignity as they are laid to rest. The gun salute, the flag ceremony and the whole experience were beyond what we had hoped for and could have ever afforded for my father. We were blessed to have my father's brothers cover additional expenses during the time of his passing. These expenses involved the casket, the care of the body and transportation to the cemetery by the funeral home. Everything else was covered by the VA once the body was transported to the VA cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.

My father's time in the service

My father lived many years after his time in the service and we are all very grateful for that. Many who die in service to our country are laid to rest within the same cemeteries around the United States. My father served during a time of peace before the Vietnam war. He always made it a point to tell me that there was a difference. He said that even though he served in the Navy he was unlike the men and women who experienced what war time was really like.

What I knew about his time in the Navy

Dad was very private about his time in the Navy and rarely talked about it with us children. In fact most of his family could notremember his ranking or details when he passed away. What Idoremember is my father sharing that a man he served with during his years in the navy had taught him about God. That he shared his faith with my father and as my father stated led him toChrist. My father never forgot the man who shared his faith with him. This was proof to me that those who invest in our lives in such a personal way are the ones that we never forget. The men and women who are not afraid to get honest and real with us are the ones that often make the biggest impact on our lives.

What does the VA burial offer?

In our experience this was a beautiful service for no cost when held at a VA cemetery with my father buried on the premises. Veterans are also eligible for some benefits when buried at a cemetery of their choosing but the VA does not cover as much for these burials. You can read more about what we learned about saving money on unexpected funeral expenses including more on the VA burials in this post.

Thank you to those who have served

On this Memorial Day I just wanted to share some of our experiences and the blessings we shared as the family of a Veteran of the U.S. Navy. I also wanted to take this time to thank both our men and women serving in the United States military today, those who have served in the past and most of all those who gave their lives in service to our country.