I am interested in whether a serviceman can do anything while alive to ensure (s)he gets military funeral honors. A military funeral for a veteran or a soldier killed in action is something that can be regarded as an entitlement, however, some families of those killed in action opt for a private funeral with no military presence. This is of course understandable from the point of view of the family, but what if servicemen themselves have an opinion on the matter? It is after all their funeral, respects being paid to them. I have looked at CF regulations on military funerals and have found statements to the effect that a military funeral will be carried out "if the Next-Of-Kin requests it" and that the wishes of the NOK should be respected, but nothing regarding the wishes of deceased. I was wondering therefore, will the military consider only the wishes of the Next-Of-Kin, or can a serviceman do anything to get the military to act on his/her wishes in these matters? More concretely:
-Can a serviceman designate a NOK, or is it by default the most immediate family?
-If a serviceman who does not have NOK is killed in action, will (s)he receive a military funeral?
-Are all veterans entitled to a military funeral, and if so, can they include a request for this as part of funeral pre-planning, or would their NOK have to request it after their death?
-Is it possible for a serviceman to ask the military to organize his/her funeral, should (s)he be killed in action, instead of/with limited consultation with NOK? Would the military ever honor a request by a serviceman to provide military funeral honors regardless of the wishes of the NOK?
-If a serviceman gives power of attorney to someone other than NOK to organize his/funeral (as some civilians do) should (s)he be killed in action, would the military ever act on that person's instructions, or would it by default consult about military funeral honors with NOK?
What I am talking about here would perhaps apply only to exceptional situations, most people would likely consult with their family about funeral wishes etc. However, there are sometimes circumstances where doing so would be problematic or impossible. For example, the serviceman and the NOK may be on poor terms or may have conflicting views on the military. Or maybe they are on good terms, but are not comfortable with discussing the topic, and the serviceman simply wants to pre-plan the funeral. I am interested in whether the military is interested in the wishes of the person who is the subject of the funeral, or only in the wishes of the survivors.
-Can a serviceman designate a NOK, or is it by default the most immediate family?
-If a serviceman who does not have NOK is killed in action, will (s)he receive a military funeral?
-Are all veterans entitled to a military funeral, and if so, can they include a request for this as part of funeral pre-planning, or would their NOK have to request it after their death?
-Is it possible for a serviceman to ask the military to organize his/her funeral, should (s)he be killed in action, instead of/with limited consultation with NOK? Would the military ever honor a request by a serviceman to provide military funeral honors regardless of the wishes of the NOK?
-If a serviceman gives power of attorney to someone other than NOK to organize his/funeral (as some civilians do) should (s)he be killed in action, would the military ever act on that person's instructions, or would it by default consult about military funeral honors with NOK?
What I am talking about here would perhaps apply only to exceptional situations, most people would likely consult with their family about funeral wishes etc. However, there are sometimes circumstances where doing so would be problematic or impossible. For example, the serviceman and the NOK may be on poor terms or may have conflicting views on the military. Or maybe they are on good terms, but are not comfortable with discussing the topic, and the serviceman simply wants to pre-plan the funeral. I am interested in whether the military is interested in the wishes of the person who is the subject of the funeral, or only in the wishes of the survivors.
