When a veteran of the U.S. military dies, they are entitled to a funeral with military honors. A bugler plays taps, an American flag is folded and presented to the veteran’s family and, if the personnel are available, a 21-gun salute is offered.

In the Powell area, those services are performed by the American Legion Hughes-Pittinger Post 26 Honor Guard, made up of local veterans with honorable military records. Commander John Fraser said the group finds satisfaction in paying tribute to the area’s deceased warriors, including those who served in World War II and the Korean War.

“Particularly for the generation … that we’re having services for now, [they] saw some terrible wartime conditions, some of them scarred for life; almost unspeakable conditions that a lot of them dealt with as prisoners” or whatever else they faced, Fraser said. “As a military person myself, I think it’s important to show respect for that — and about the only way I can show respect for that is doing what I’m doing.”

However, the Post 26 Honor Guard is currently short on members. While Fraser said he’s always had enough people available to perform military funeral honors, he hasn’t always had seven riflemen available for a 21-gun salute (firing three volleys of blank ammunition); the riflemen are accompanied by a bugler and a commander.

Powell’s honor guard currently has around 14 active members — who range in age from their 40s into their 70s, Fraser said — but several work regular jobs and can’t always get away for a weekday funeral. Ideally, Fraser would like to add another 10 members — including a couple who could fill in as commander, organizing the guard and calling out commands.

“It would be nice to always be able to field an honors rifle team of seven people,” he said.

The honor guard’s schedule can be as unpredictable as death, but the members usually have 48 to 72 hours advance notice.

Over the past six months, Fraser said the honor guard attended 10 funerals; June was unusually busy, with three.

Nearly all veterans are eligible for military funeral honors, but not all families request them. However, for all of the services where the honor guard is summoned, Fraser said the families are very appreciative.

“They have a lot of respect, whether they themselves have been in the military or they appreciate what the military is doing for the country. They have a lot of respect for their family member that served,” he said.

Fraser served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 27 years, starting as a minuteman mechanic in Cheyenne and then being commissioned as an officer. As a civil engineer, Fraser said he received some combat engineering assignments, but quickly got more involved in the management side of operations, overseeing a 400-person team that took care of their base.

“I loved what I did,” he said, adding, “I found that I really, really enjoyed what I was doing; I stayed with it and it felt good to be making a contribution.”

Now, Fraser said, he finds satisfaction as a member of the Post 26 Honor Guard. Any veteran interested in joining the guard should contact the post at americanlegionpost26@gmail.com or 307-754-3411 or Fraser at jmfraser69@msn.com or 307-754-7036.