Originally posted by Bravo20
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I prefer the US Military solution - a dedicated unit whose job it is to deal with graves and funerals. Such a thing could easily be done in Ireland if we had the manpower etc. but is a big ask in the current climate.
A dedicated Section including Sergeant & officer who would do a 4/6 month stint, they would do their normal day to day job, but have no duties other than to be on standby for funeral and related duties. After 4/6 months, it would be passed onto the next section.
Then again, given the manpower crisis, this is just wishful thinking.
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Ordinarily, once a family express their desire for the DF to be involved in a funeral, usually through friends or contacts in their old unit, the Bde RSM would look after the rest. In the NS, I would assume this falls on the Master at Arms.
Even token attendance is greatly appreciated by the families.
However, there has to be a line in the sand somewhere. It is 20 / 21 years service.
A man that was a recruit for a week and left and dies 70 years later should not be afforded the same levels of respect as someone with 42 years service.
However, the burden of responsibility must fall on the family to initiate the process by making contact. Not every exer wants to have military at their funeral and the organisation cannot be responsible for monitoring if someone that retired 30+ years ago has passed away.
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[QUOTE]However, there has to be a line in the sand somewhere. It is 20 / 21 years service.
A man that was a recruit for a week and left and dies 70 years later should not be afforded the same levels of respect as someone with 42 years service
You should not be forgotten when your time in uniform is over.[/QUOTE]
99% are and of that 99% , 100% of them have never voiced an opinion or care.. because they are dead!
There is no difference between this and carrying out a guard of honour for some ambassador presenting his credentials.
Will they turn up when I'm gone...no
Would I want them there ......no
For the amount of service I gave should my family request a presence..again noCovid 19 is not over ....it's still very real..Hand Hygiene, Social Distancing and Masks.. keep safe
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It still does. Maintained by the BAR.
It is only used for personnel who die while in service. Once you retire(if you have your 20 done) you are entitled to a bearer party and a dressed coffin that's it. And that's should be enough. The bearer party will have been detailed and chances are won't know the exer but if you have a good Sgt I/C he/she will have them rehearsed to death before hand to make sure we give that Exer a good send off.After all at some stage you reap what you sow.
I have done more Military funerals than I have had decent dinners in the cookhouse.Everyone from former Thaoisigh to young lads who died in service and everything in between. ALL deserved the highest standard of drill and deportment and it makes a HUGE difference to the families. I don't agree with detailing young soldiers to be mourners at family funerals but having buried members of my own family looking down from the pulpit when delivering a eulogy and seeing a "green sea" sitting at the back of the church was a big comfort AND was commented on favourably afterwards by other family members.
Now here is the but.
I am serving. Those people were and are my comrades.They serve with me and know me.They were there to support me and mine,not because they knew my deceased family members. There is NO way people should be detailed to attend a funeral of someone they never served with,who was retired at the time of death unless they are part of the actual funeral ceremony. Period.
Now having said that I have put it in my will that if I die while in service I want certain people to carry my coffin and I want full Military honours. And the funeral will be on...........
A Saturday."Let us be clear about three facts. First, all battles and all wars are won in the end by the infantryman. Secondly, the infantryman always bears the brunt. His casualties are heavier, he suffers greater extremes of discomfort and fatigue than the other arms. Thirdly, the art of the infantryman is less stereotyped and far harder to acquire in modern war than that of any other arm." ------- Field Marshall Wavell, April 1945.
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When I die, I want to be taken to the icecreamatorioum, for a traditional sundae service...
(David Sedaris)'He died who loved to live,' they'll say,
'Unselfishly so we might have today!'
Like hell! He fought because he had to fight;
He died that's all. It was his unlucky night.
http://www.salamanderoasis.org/poems...nnis/luck.html
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I think we are all in agreement that people shouldn't be detailed to be mourners. The bearer party & firing squad are another matter.
Getting back to the funeral in question, I spoke with a few people who attended it and they were very complimentary of it and the bearer party. Mostly it was the sight of the full church that reminded them of when they lived on the island.
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My organisation, a government agency, has a particularly strange tradition. Some of us are uniformed, most are not. Many rotate through uniform during their career.
If a member, who worked at any time in a uniformed capacity, dies, their colleagues attend in uniform, even if their current duties are no longer uniformed.
The result is those attending leave the funeral with the impression that my organisation has way more uniformed members than it actually has....For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.
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Originally posted by na grohmiti View PostMy organisation, a government agency, has a particularly strange tradition. Some of us are uniformed, most are not. Many rotate through uniform during their career.
If a member, who worked at any time in a uniformed capacity, dies, their colleagues attend in uniform, even if their current duties are no longer uniformed.
The result is those attending leave the funeral with the impression that my organisation has way more uniformed members than it actually has....Last edited by ancientmariner; 8 January 2020, 19:35.
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Originally posted by ancientmariner View PostThe navy at this time is suffering from a shortage of trained personnel to take , or keep ships at sea. This is not a unique situation, as our neighbours have 30 operational ships but also have the same number of laid-up surface ships and submarines cluttering up a number of naval bases, that may never go to sea again. They do have a refurbished destroyer, Hunt class MCV and another single role minehunter all used for Static live seamanship and ship training for reserves, cadets, and general service training. The idea would be refurbish P31 and reinstate her flight deck and use her for general training alongside and flight training at anchor in the lower harbour. Then subject to a negative survey take her out and conduct a sinkex. However I believe she could last another 25 years. Conduct all training as if she was at sea, with full catering and night exercises where required.
The money is simply not available to support 10 seagoing ships.
I do agree it should be retained alongside as a training ship, similar to the RN training ship HMS Bristol.
It could then last 25 years easily enough, Just turn her around every year for a clean and drydock her every 4-5 years.
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