I was on burial detail for a while at Ft Lewis back in the day with a really good group of guys, one of the biggest honors of my career. We didnt do the number that you Old Guard guys did but I remember the same thing - the cremation funerals were nowhere near as somber and bleak.Eric Lamberson wrote:Wow--we do cover some ground on this forum. Cremation for me. I was in the 3rd Infantry (The Old Guard) for a number of years and participated in the funerals of over 200 soldiers and their family members. I never saw anyone cry at a funeral where the deceased had been cremated.
Some of the burials, however...the detail usually ended up in tears with the rest of the family.