An Honor to Be an Honor Guard
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Celebrating the Spirit of America
By Christian Harch

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.
~James Allen

If George Brown can do it, then so can I. George is Captain of the all-volunteer Honor Guard for the Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery in southern New Jersey. George is ninety years old.

After retirement, I was anxious to do volunteer work. As a military veteran myself, I was drawn to serve with the twenty-member Honor Guard, which pays tribute to our deceased veterans as they go to their final resting place. Seven years ago, I joined the group. After receiving a uniform, George said, “I’ll call you when the next funeral is scheduled.” I learned the procedure by doing.

Everyone knows how fulfilling volunteer work can be. But serving at the cemetery has been especially rewarding for me. It is a sad time for the families of the deceased, but they are genuinely grateful for the honor and dignity of our ceremony. We see the comfort on their faces when they arrive at the cemetery and find us already in formation. As the American flag-draped casket or an urn with a folded flag is carried from the hearse, we remain in formation. (Keep reading)