By Shirlee Grabko
Arnold Smallin, chaplain for both the Tri-County Honor Guard and the Union County American Legion Post 0212, attended his first funeral with military honors about 12 years ago and was less than impressed.
The military service was not well executed, there were few military participants and they were not in uniform.
He later attended a burial where the military honors were performed by the Tri-County Honor Guard and his whole opinion changed. The military professionalism, the honor and respect shown the deceased serviceman changed Arnold Smallin’s mind about the honor guard, and so he joined.
Harold Miller, Honor Guard Commander, saw an ad for Tri-County Honor Guard participants placed in the paper by Earl Loy, former honor guard commander. It seemed like a good idea, so he got his friend Stanley Williams to join with him in 2011. These men believe that the fallen deserve to be honored and their families recognized.
Joining the honor guard was something that Bill Douglas had never considered, never even thought about. One day he was shopping at Walmart while wearing his Army cap. Harold Miller saw that hat and handed Bill a business card. He impressed upon Bill what an opportunity it would be for him to join the Tri-County Honor Guard, so he did.
There are presently 11 members of the Honor Guard—all retired. Working a regular job makes it difficult to attend daytime funerals. On some days, they may have two, three or four funerals. That makes it problematic for all 11 to attend every funeral. Vacations, doctor appointments and other life events occur. All members are always not available. The Tri-County Honor Guard volunteers range in age from 74 to 82.
The need for Honor Guards is increasing as the number of vets age out. The East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on John Sevier Highway was established in August 2011. One veteran remembers when it had around 20 gravesites. Now, just 12 years later, there are over 6,000. There are so many funerals performed daily that each service has to be limited to 30 minutes in order to provide time for all of the burials.
The East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on Lyons View in West Knoxville can take no more veterans. They are full at around 6,000.
The family of any military member who dies while on active duty and veterans who served in the active military or were honorably discharged may request a military honor guard to attend the funeral.
A recent funeral was for Hershell Sharp. An Air Force veteran, he had been a member in good standing of the American Legion Post 0212 in Union County for 75 years when he passed. The men of the Tri-County Honor Guard speak of respect and honor for the service that these veterans have given their country when they talk about this volunteer service that they perform. Respect and honor.
Eight flags are placed in a line at the cemetery for the service. The American flag is the first planted in the ground. Then the black MIA flag, the State of Tennessee flag, and then a flag for each individual branch of the service, except for the flag representing the branch of the service that the deceased served in. That flag goes closer to the gravesite, to honor the veteran.
The honor guard detail should have at least one member who is a representative from the deceased veteran’s service branch. The majority of the Tri-City Honor Guard are Army vets. There is one Navy and one Air Force member.
All members are not available for all services, so the Tri-County Honor Guard has adopted a generic uniform that they all wear. Their concern is that a family might feel slighted if they all showed up wearing their own service uniform and the deceased’s service was not represented. Respect and honor.
Honor guards perform a gun salute at funerals honoring the military deceased. A 21-gun salute uses battery or artillery pieces instead of rifles and is reserved for heads of state, presidents or former presidents. It is the highest honor. Taps was played by bugler Benny Henson. Then Hershell Sharp received a 3-gun rifle salute signifying Duty, Honor and Sacrifice. The spent shells are collected and presented to the family.
There is an American flag placed on the coffin at the beginning of the service. At the end of the service, that flag is folded by two veterans. There is a procedure for folding the flag and meaning behind each fold. There are 13 folds each representing a different tribute, belief, symbol, or remembrance. The folded flag is then given to a family member with words of condolence and a card signed by the individual participating members of the guard.
Then the flags are respectfully taken down. The American flag is the first to go up and the last to come down.
For information on the Tri-County Honor Guard, contact Commander Harold Miller at 865-497-3161.
The Tri-County Honor Guard members are:
Grainger County: Harold Miller, Commander
Union County: Stanley Williams, Vice-Commander; Arnold Smallin, Chaplain; Larry Ensley, Chaplain and Finance Officer; and Bill Douglas, Benny Henson and Charles Collins
Claiborne County: Gene Ellison
Knox County: Wade Jones, Adjutant; and Tom Mitchell and Stephen Brinkley