Last Wednesday I accompanied one of our families to the graveside at Tahoma National Cemetery where I said the Committal service and the deceased was given military honors for burial.
I was impressed by the military honor guard. They performed the military ceremony with great dignity and solemnity. A three-shot volley was fired, followed by the ceremonial folding of the flag which was then presented to the widow by a soldier on bended knee.
Tahoma National Cemetery is a beautiful setting. The site has been landscaped so that the road winds through the gently rolling hills, and the rows of headstones are surrounded by a backdrop of forested curves. Mount Rainier looms above the central road.
The ceremony was carefully scheduled and quite prompt. It was made clear to us that we were one of many burials that day, and we had to arrive and depart according to the schedule given, which we did. Very well done. My only complaint was the mushy poems recited by the elderly VFW veteran who acted as MC for the ceremony. They could have been omitted and let the crisp military honor guard carry the day.
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