The Honor Guard and the Suicide

This can be a difficult situation; it doesn’t have to be any more difficult than we make it. Let’s read on.

Rendering Honors Is About Service, Not Manner of Death

It has been decades since I last participated in an Active Duty funeral for an Airman who died by suicide (early 1990s). During the preparations for that funeral, I remember fellow guardsmen openly questioning whether the Airman “deserved” full military honors—or even the flag on the casket.

Those opinions were wrong then, and they are wrong now.

Suicide has long been burdened by stigma and shame. While society has progressed in its understanding of mental health, remnants of that stigma remain—often expressed quietly, sometimes openly. In ceremonial service, allowing such judgment to influence honors is a failure of professionalism and a misunderstanding of what honors represent.

You are not judging a life.
You are honoring service.

A Recent Case: Fire Service Leadership

Recently, I received a call from the commander of a newly established Fire Department Honor Guard I had previously trained. The question concerned funeral honors for a Fire Chief who served 33 years, retired honorably, and died by suicide five years later.

The commander had already formed a thoughtful approach but wanted confirmation from someone experienced in ceremonial doctrine.

My response was simple and unequivocal.

The Ceremonial Principle

As ceremonial guardsmen, we do not represent ourselves.

We represent:

• Our service
• Those who served before us
• Those who will serve after us

This is why ceremonial personnel do not wear name tags. Individual opinions, beliefs, or emotions are irrelevant in the performance of ceremonial duty.

We render honors for honorable service, not for the circumstances of death.

Military Funeral Honors: What Actually Matters

In the U.S. military, the only factors that affect eligibility for funeral honors are:

• Character of service
• Legal status at separation
• Court-martial outcomes, if applicable

For those who served honorably, there are three funeral categories, each with written standards:

1. Full Honors Funeral
2. Standard Honors Funeral
3. Veteran Honors Funeral

If the deceased meets the criteria for one of these categories, nothing else matters.
Not opinion.
Not rumor.
Not cause of death.

That is precisely why standards exist—to remove emotion and judgment from moments that demand dignity and consistency.

The Ceremonial Role Explained Simply

Think of it this way:

Service honor guards in Washington, D.C. perform ceremonies regardless of who the President is or whether they personally supported that individual. The saying holds true:

“POTUS is POTUS.”

Likewise:

• The deceased is the deceased.
• Honors are rendered based on service.
• The method of death is not a factor.

First Responders: Family-Centered Authority

For First Responder Honor Guards, authority functions differently than in the military.

In this community:

• The family’s wishes are paramount
• Honors are offered, not imposed

Through the family liaison, the following may be presented as options:

• Casket watch
• Colors
• Pallbearers
• Escort
• Apparatus caisson
• 2- or 6-man flag fold (based on capability and training)

The family chooses what they want—and what they do not.

This approach preserves dignity, compassion, and professionalism without inserting judgment or speculation.

Write It Down — Doctrine Prevents Conflict

Every honor guard—military or first responder—should have written funeral standards.

At a minimum:

• Define funeral categories
• Clearly list what each category provides
• Have the document approved and signed by the Chief, Sheriff, or Commanding Officer

When standards are written, approved, and known:

• There are no surprises
• There are no debates at the worst possible moment
• There is no room for personal opinion to override professionalism

A Note on the Roman Catholic Church

Historically, Catholic teaching—particularly interpretations influenced by the Baltimore Catechism—treated suicide as a mortal sin. That position has been formally revised.

In the 1990s, under Pope John Paul II, the Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly acknowledged the role of mental illness and psychological distress.

The Catechism states:

Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.

It further clarifies:

We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to Him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.

This doctrinal clarification aligns with modern understanding—and reinforces the principle that judgment is not ours to render.

Bottom Line

Ceremonial honors are not about how someone died.
They are about how someone served.

Anything less is not tradition.
It is personal bias masquerading as authority.

Semper ad Honorem
Always for Honor

Originally written in 2017. Updated in 2025.