I went to Washington D.C. last week on vacation in hopes of seeing the cherry blossoms. As luck and a late spring would have it, they were in full bloom. Being a veteran, it was also important to me that I take my children to Arlington National Cemetery to pay our respects and witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.
While walking toward the tomb, I noticed six horses approaching our direction. Since my children are three, they really like horses. As I was getting their attention, the realization hit me that the horses had just performed their duty of delivering the casket of a fallen soldier. Shortly thereafter we heard the 21 gun salute. There are over 27 funeral services per day at Arlington. It was an honor to be able to witness one of them.
Who is permitted to be buried at Arlington? My mother was with me on vacation and she asked me if I was going to be buried there. Unfortunately, for me, the answer is “no” because I don't qualify. To be eligible for burial in the Arlington National Cemetery, the person must have either: died while on active duty; be retired from the Armed Forces; any member of the Armed Forces who was separated prior to October 1, 1949 due to physical disability and who would have been eligible for retirement; any former active duty member of the Armed Forces who received one of the following decorations: Medal of Honor; Distinguished Service Cross (Air Force Cross or Navy Cross); Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star; Purple Heart; or who was a prisoner of war; or certain qualified family members. For more information about eligibility, visit the Arlington National Cemetery.
While we are all familiar with May 30th being Memorial Day, a day to honor and remember those who served and died for our country and our freedom, it is humbling to be at Arlington any given day when a funeral service is being performed – a daily reminder that service members are dying every day for us.
As an estate planning and elder law attorney, I am privileged to meet so many wartime veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and now also from the Desert Wars. Each has a unique story. They have protected our country and now want to protect their own families. As attorneys, we have the unique abilities to help them do that through asset protection strategies and estate planning tools. For more information, contact www.LawyersWithPurpose.com.
Victoria L. Collier, Certified Elder Law Attorney, Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Co-Founder, Lawyers with Purpose, LLC, and author of 47 Secret Veterans’ Benefits for Seniors…Benefits You Have Earned but Don’t Know About.
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