MONROE - Two weekends ago, Newcomer Funeral Home helped lay to rest another of the area's veterans. Making use for the first time of a free-of-charge program that gives those who served a fitting tribute, Craig Newcomer saw a family full of pride say its final goodbye.
"I had not seen it, and I was very impressed," said Newcomer, the funeral home's director, of the ceremony. "It was nice to have a very professional job done and it made for a more positive experience for the family - a good remembrance.
"Everyone came away from it saying the same word: Respect."
When Newcomer works with a family and learns the deceased is a veteran, he asks if a military service is desired. Most of the time it is, he said.
Typically, he'd contact local members of the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars posts to assemble a tribute team, but that is becoming more and more of a challenge with their aging and thinning ranks.
This time, he turned to the Wisconsin Military Funeral Honors Program, which provides tribute participants who currently serve in the Armed Forces.
"One person came all the way from La Crosse," Newcomer said. "I was amazed by the dedication. I asked the soldiers to stay for lunch, but they said they had to get back. All that way for five minutes of work, but I could tell how much it meant to them. I could tell they knew how much it meant to the family of the deceased."
The duties they perform can include folding and presenting the American flag to the next of kin, playing "Taps," rifle salutes, and the display of a color guard.
In 2000, the program became a statutory benefit for veterans. According to the state's Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA), more than 12,000 Wisconsin veterans die each year, nearly twice as many as 15 years ago.
It's a fact that motivates 35-year-old Clayton Ruegsegger to assist at funerals, not as a part of the state program but through his legion post in Gratiot. He is the director of the Green County Veterans Services and appreciates what the program has to offer. Without it, he worries some veterans could go without a tribute.
"It's a fitting sendoff so many of our comrades deserve," said the veteran of the Iraq War. "But getting an honor guard team together, especially in the rural areas, is difficult. I know at my post we're down to about a dozen guys who are able, especially when it comes to handling a rifle.
"Finding a bugle player is even tougher."
For more information on Wisconsin Military Funeral Honors, either visit the program's website at dva.state.wi.us, email honors@dva.wisconsin.gov or call (877) 944-6667. Discharge documentation is required for eligibility.
"I had not seen it, and I was very impressed," said Newcomer, the funeral home's director, of the ceremony. "It was nice to have a very professional job done and it made for a more positive experience for the family - a good remembrance.
"Everyone came away from it saying the same word: Respect."
When Newcomer works with a family and learns the deceased is a veteran, he asks if a military service is desired. Most of the time it is, he said.
Typically, he'd contact local members of the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars posts to assemble a tribute team, but that is becoming more and more of a challenge with their aging and thinning ranks.
This time, he turned to the Wisconsin Military Funeral Honors Program, which provides tribute participants who currently serve in the Armed Forces.
"One person came all the way from La Crosse," Newcomer said. "I was amazed by the dedication. I asked the soldiers to stay for lunch, but they said they had to get back. All that way for five minutes of work, but I could tell how much it meant to them. I could tell they knew how much it meant to the family of the deceased."
The duties they perform can include folding and presenting the American flag to the next of kin, playing "Taps," rifle salutes, and the display of a color guard.
In 2000, the program became a statutory benefit for veterans. According to the state's Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA), more than 12,000 Wisconsin veterans die each year, nearly twice as many as 15 years ago.
It's a fact that motivates 35-year-old Clayton Ruegsegger to assist at funerals, not as a part of the state program but through his legion post in Gratiot. He is the director of the Green County Veterans Services and appreciates what the program has to offer. Without it, he worries some veterans could go without a tribute.
"It's a fitting sendoff so many of our comrades deserve," said the veteran of the Iraq War. "But getting an honor guard team together, especially in the rural areas, is difficult. I know at my post we're down to about a dozen guys who are able, especially when it comes to handling a rifle.
"Finding a bugle player is even tougher."
For more information on Wisconsin Military Funeral Honors, either visit the program's website at dva.state.wi.us, email honors@dva.wisconsin.gov or call (877) 944-6667. Discharge documentation is required for eligibility.