Maine funeral honors program congratulates three members

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AUGUSTA, MAINE (04/19/2021) (readMedia)-- Fellow soldiers gathered at the Camp Chamberlain auditorium April 19, 2021, to witness three of their peers receive the Army National Guard Honor Guard tab.

Cpl. Shaun Dorrington, Sgt. Gabriel Bradley, and Pfc. Ethan Tardy all recently completed the 40-hour required course to receive the coveted tab. Respectively, the three soldiers represent the 136th Engineer Company, 488th Military Police Company, and the 1136th Transportation Company.

The current Maine Military Funeral Honors program (MMFH) was created in 2004 and since then has conducted over 16,000 funerals for Maine veterans and service members from all branches of the military. Combined, the three soldiers receiving the tab have already perfomed over 1,000 funeral honors events.

There are currently ten Maine Army National Guard soldiers and one U.S. Army reservist working full time with the program. MMFH soldiers remain assigned to and train with their home unit during drill weekends, and are based out of Camp Chamberlain during the work week.

"The significance of this program, I feel, is being able to return and honor all those veterans who served before our time," said Adam Buckley, the state program coordinator. "Those who fought in war and served during peacetime who at one point were willing to give their life for our country. In return for their sacrifice, we honor them with one final salute."

Sgt. Maj. Caree Kavanaugh is the senior noncommissioned officer for the Maine Army National Guard personnel office, and says the program is always looking to hire currently-serving soldiers and train them for this important duty.

"As most would assume, this is a very difficult and attention-to-detail mission," said Kavanaugh. "The team has received countless family and veteran accolades over the years...please pass the word to your fellow soldiers and NCOs – we're always hiring."

Training for the MMFH program includes instruction on drill and ceremony, manual of arms, casket details and urn sequences, and firing party.

Captions:

210419-Z-DY035-001: Sgt. Maj. Caree Kavanaugh addresses the audience during an April 19 ceremony awarding the Army National Guard Honor Guard tab to three Maine soldiers

002: Cpl. Shaun Dorrington receives his Honor Guard tab from Deputy G1 Lt. Col. Zebulan Murray

003: Sgt. Gabriel Bradley receives his Honor Guard tab from Deputy G1 Lt. Col. Zebulan Murray

004: Pfc. Ethan Tardy receives his Honor Guard tab from Deputy G1 Lt. Col. Zebulan Murray

005: Cpl. Dorrington, Sgt. Bradley, and Pfc. Tardy stand at parade rest during an April 19, 2021 ceremony at Camp Chamberlain. All three received the Army National Guard Honor Guard tab after completing the required 40 hour training

210401-Z-DY035-001: Soldiers with the Maine Military Funeral Honors program fire a volley during a veteran funeral, April 1, 2021

210401-Z-DY035-002: Soldiers with the Maine Military Funeral Honors program prepare to fire a volley during a veteran funeral, April 1, 2021

Maine National Guard photos by Maj. Carl Lamb / Released