In most cases, it’s not until you’re in need of services from an organization that you actually become aware of them. That is much the case with The Honor Guard Association at Saratoga’s National Cemetery.
The group primarily provides a military component at burial services for fallen soldiers. The Honor Guard, at the request of family (be itof a veteran or active soldier) will perform taps, give a rifle salute and perform a flag folding at funerals for any honorably discharged soldier from any branch of the armed forces.
The association in Saratoga has 150 members, 90 of them are active but all of who are volunteers. It’s one of a scant few non-military honor guards in the nation, and its members play a vital role in the hundreds of veteran burials that take place every year at the cemetery.
Despite stepping up to the plate whenever needed, the Honor Guard Association operates on a shoestring budget. J.P. Dartt, adjutant with the Honor Guard, said financial records for 2010 showed expenses just over$16,000 and he anticipated that records for 2011 would be about the same.
The organization’s small operating budget is made up entirely of donations, from which the group pays for uniforms, ammunition and other needs. Now, the members are seeking money to maintain a shuttle bus to run on the grounds of the cemetery in Saratoga.
At the age of 40, Dartt is the youngest member of the Saratoga Honor Guard.
“I was newly married with a young daughter. I wanted to get out with people a little more. It’s easy to overlook that need for community,” saidDartt.
That sense of brotherhood and community is also shared by Martin Volin, a 1st Lt. with the association and veteran of the MarineCorps. He says that the association works with area funeral homes and offers families a ceremony at burials.
“It gives the families a sense of closure,” he said.
Volin added that the organization does flag raisings at area schools and parades and participates in Flag Day and Memorial Day activities as requested by schools or other organizations in the community. He said the association is known by all veteran’s associations, but maybe not as well known among the public.
The Honor Guard Association consists of six squads of 12-18volunteers each. Their principal duty is to ensure that every veteran receives a proper military burial service. It’s available at no charge to all eligible veterans, and funeral homes from all over the region coordinate with the cemetery and the association for services. Honor guards also serve in the civilian world for fallen police officers and other civil servants.
Marshall Wagner, with Rockefeller Funeral Home in East Greenbush, for example, said that they have approximately 40 funerals each year at the Saratoga National Cemetery.
President George W. Bush signed legislation in 2002 that renamed Saratoga National Cemetery to the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. Congressman Solomon was known as the champion of veteran causes and headed the effort to create a cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs. He was also instrumental in helping to establish the national cemetery in which he is now buried.
More than 1.4 million veterans live in New York and more than 225,000 reside in the Albany and Saratoga areas. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery is New York State’s sixth national veteran’s cemetery and the 116th in the National Cemetery Administration. The cemetery can provide burial space for175,500 veterans and eligible dependents.
While it is difficult for families, at the time of services to express thanks to the association, Dratt reflected about a service where one act was monumental. “At one time a young boy came up to us after a service andgave us a small flag. That was a pretty neat moment… We also give out three empty shell casings to the family. The casings represent duty, honor and courage for a fallen comrade,” he said.
Dartt also states that a member of their association, Joe Dwyer
is a WWII veteran and has only recently missed a service due to his wife’s illness.
Being presented an American flag that was draped over the casket of a loved one is a solemn experience and one not easily echoed by mere words. During the folding of the flag especially, families are touched by the presence of Honor Guard members. The flag is folded meticulously a total of twelve times, with each fold representing a tribute. The first being life on earth, the second being eternal life, and the fifth a tribute to country, to name a few.
For more information on the Honor Guard Association and how you can donate or join, visit http://snchonorguard.blogspot.com.
