IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 783 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Department 

of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration employees, volunteers, and veterans’ service organizations that perform funeral honors 

and memorial honor details should be permitted to recite the 13 steps 

to fold an American flag (known as the ‘‘13-fold recital’’) at any national 

cemetery if requested by the family of the deceased. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 30, 2007 

Mr. LATOURETTE (for himself and Mr. CALVERT) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery 

Administration employees, volunteers, and veterans’ service organizations that perform funeral honors and memorial honor details should be permitted to recite the 13 

steps to fold an American flag (known as the ‘‘13-fold 

recital’’) at any national cemetery if requested by the 

family of the deceased. 

Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration (hereinafter referred to as the 

‘‘NCA’’ ) honors veterans with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service to the Nation; 


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•HRES 783 IH 

Whereas the NCA currently maintains more than 2.8 million 

grave sites at 125 national cemeteries in 39 States and 

Puerto Rico; 

Whereas in fiscal year 2006 nearly 97,000 interments were 

conducted at national cemeteries; 

Whereas in fiscal year 2006 nearly 72 percent of interments 

were at the Nation’s 20 busiest national cemeteries in 

Riverside, California, Florida, Calverton, New York, Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, Fort Snelling, Minnesota, 

Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Fort Logan, Colorado, Willamette, Oregon, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Houston, Texas, Fort Rosecrans, California, Abraham Lincoln, Illinois, Tahoma, 

Washington, Massachusetts, San Joaquin Valley, California, Long Island, New York, Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, Ohio Western Reserve, and Great Lakes, Michigan; 

Whereas the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

Year 2000 (Public Law 106–65) requires, upon a family’s request, that every eligible veteran receive a military 

funeral honors ceremony, to include folding and presenting the United States burial flag and the playing of 

Taps, and the law further stipulates that veterans’ organizations may assist in providing military funeral honors; 

Whereas the folding and presentation of the United States 

flag is a solemn and important moment for families of 

the deceased, and can be done in silence or accompanied 

by a recitation of the 13 steps taken to fold the flag and 

the meaning behind each step; 

Whereas veterans’ service organizations across the Nation 

often provide funeral honors at national cemeteries, inVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:28 Oct 31, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR783.IH HR783

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•HRES 783 IH 

cluding the folding and presentation of the flag, the recitation of the flag-folding steps and the playing of Taps; 

Whereas the NCA, in late September 2007, banned the recitation of the flag-folding ceremony by employees and volunteers, including those from veterans’ service organizations, at all national cemeteries; 

Whereas this policy is unnecessary and insulting to veterans 

who bleed and die for the United States flag; and 

Whereas the choice to have the flag-folding ceremony read 

aloud should rest with the family of the deceased, not the 

NCA: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that the Department of Veterans Affairs Na3 tional Cemetery Administration employees, volunteers, 

4 and veterans’ service organizations that perform funeral 

5 honors and memorial honor details should be permitted 

6 to recite the 13 steps to fold an American flag (known 

7 as the ‘‘13-fold recital’’) at any national cemetery if re8 quested by the family of the deceased. 

Æ 


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