NAVPERS 15555D is the Bureau of Naval Personnel manual that establishes Navy policy and procedure for military funeral honors and burial at sea. Issued by the Casualty Assistance and Retired Activities Division (PERS-62), it implements the funeral-honors mandate of Section 578 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, which directed the Department of Defense to provide military funeral honors to all eligible veterans upon request. The manual covers eligibility, the composition and conduct of the funeral detail, the folding and presentation of the National Ensign, the sounding of Taps, the ceremonial procedure for burial at sea, and committal services for the Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Eastern Orthodox, Muslim, and Buddhist faiths.
This is the document cited in our companion article on Military Funerals and Burial at Sea, which explains the history and meaning behind these naval traditions.
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