New York National Guard hosts military funeral honors training program at Camp Smith

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New York Army National Guard Spc. Christopher Roderiguez salutes the flag held by Pvt. Shelbi Vanderbogart during a military funeral service .

CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, CORTLANDT MANOR,, NY (05/01/2017) (readMedia)-- Twelve Army National Guard Soldiers from around the country are participating in a two-week funeral honors training program at the New York National Guard's Camp Smith Training Site starting today.

The New York Army National Guard is hosting the training, which is funded by the National Guard Bureau. Four New York Army National Guard Soldiers are among the 12 taking part in the course.

The course is designed to teach Soldiers charged with training other members of funeral honor guards the regulation way to conduct military funerals.

Since 2000, federal law has mandated that any military veteran who did not receive a dishonorable discharge from the armed forces receive military honors at his or her funeral if the family asks. The ceremony must include the folding and presenting of the flag of the United States to the veteran's survivors and the playing of Taps.

The size of the detail varies from a minimum of two service members to nine or more personnel for deceased service members who retired from the military after a full career or were awarded medals for valor.

Army National Guard teams in each state conduct many of these military funerals when Active Army funeral details are not available.

The training The course will cover all levels of Military Funeral Honors, from a two Soldier basic service, to a full honors service with six Soldiers folding the flag and a firing party.

The New York Army National Guard has more than 30 Soldiers providing military funeral honors around the state. In 2016 the New York National Guard provided military funeral services 10,278 times.

This is the second time the New York Army National Guard has hosted the national honor guard training program.