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UNIT HISTORY   >The Marion County Memorial Honor Guard was formed as a war veterans' organization in 2001 by PFC Arthur Nave, U.S. Army, in the aftermath of 9/11, seeing the high need for support of funeral Honors for Veterans who had died. A significant number of older WWII and Korean War veterans were passing away and the active duty military was drawn thin by the increasing deployments to the Middle East. During those early days, the Guard was performing as many as eight funerals a day. In the days since the unit was formed in 2001, the leadership of GySgt Ed Harrison, USMC, then 1st LT Pete Peno, U.S. Army and MSgt Sharon Cooley, USAF retired as Captain of the Guard helped to sustain and transition the unit to its current status. Our current Captain of the Guard is ATCS(AW) Donald S. Kennedy, U.S. Navy, Retired. A normal active duty military honor guard folds, presents the flag, and plays taps. The Marion County Memorial Honor Guard was developed with a much more comprehensive and personal approach to the Honors ceremony. The Chaplain directly interacts with and provides comfort to the Veteran’s family. We always try to provide a Rifle Salute, a Bugler, Fold/Present the flag, perform a Final Salute, and present mementos of the service. The service more clearly reflects the camaraderie of fellow service members and the honors that the departed veteran deserves. During the COVID epidemic in 2020, the National Cemeteries were closed for a while to avoid assembling in groups. This created a temporary backlog of services to be provided later. Currently, we are averaging over 16 services per month. Most of these are veterans from Vietnam, Afghanistan, and the Gulf Wars. Although most of the services we perform are at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, we have provided services at several commercial/private cemeteries, local churches, Veterans Halls, HOA facilities, and even in private homes. Marion County Memorial Honor Guard, Inc. is a Florida Non-Profit Corporation formed on September 23, 2002. The IRS approved it in 2003 as a 501(c)(19) war veterans organization which provides tax-exempt status for the Marion County Memorial Honor Guard and allows all donations and contributions to be deductible under IRC 170(c)(3). Our eleven-member Board of Directors consists of seven veterans with active-duty military experience and one member who has not served in the military. Three board seats are vacant. Staff Positions include President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations, Procurement, and Vehicle Maintenance Officers. Ceremonial Positions include Captain-of-the-Guard, Chaplain, Sergeant-of-the-Guard, Flag Folder, Flag Presenter, Rifleman, and Bugler. We also are privileged to have a Bagpiper! MARION COUNTY MEMORIAL HONOR GUARD PERSONNEL
To request service, to volunteer, or for information, call 1-352-216-6724 or e-mail marioncountyhg at gmail dot com. We may also be contacted by mail at: Marion County Memorial Honor Guard Attn: ATCS Donald Kennedy 2306 SW 20th Court Ocala, FL 34471 |
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