In the military, bonds run deep.

You risk your lives for each other. You’re there for each other.

That devotion doesn’t end at discharge or retirement; it doesn’t even end at death.

A group of men and women from the Tri-Cities prove that every week.

They arrange and perform the military funeral rites – such as the rifle salute and the folding of the flag – to honor their fellow veterans.

They’re all veterans themselves, and for them, being part of the honor guard is meaningful. “Less than 1% of our entire population keeps us free. (Handling the military rites) is something that needs to be done,” said Ryan Jacobs, a U.S. Air Force veteran who helps with funerals when he can. “You need to show respect and gratitude.”

Tri-City honor guards

Jacobs is the quartermaster of VFW Post 7952 in Richland.

VFW stands for “veterans of foreign wars.” The nonprofit organization with chapters around the country is made up of members who’ve served in the military in a war, campaign or expedition overseas. Jacobs served as a diesel mechanic in the Air Force from 2000-06, stationed everywhere from New Mexico to South Korea. His service included time in Iraq.

The Richland VFW has an honor guard of about 20 people; they perform military rites at a few hundred funerals a year. The Kennewick-Pasco American Legion also has an honor guard that helps out with a similar number of veteran funerals in the region.

A widow receives a folded flag during a funeral for her husband. The honor guard from VFW Post 7952 in Richland arranges and performs military rites, such as a rifle salute and flag folding, during the funerals of local veterans.

| Courtesy Pam Swarner

Both groups also present the flag and take part in community events.

Jacobs said veterans don’t need special instruction to be part of the honor guard, as they learn military drill and courtesy during their basic training.

The 44-year-old found his way to the local VFW after leaving the Air Force.

Military families

It was important to him to keep up his military ties, even as his family grew and he kept busy with a job as a freight driver for FedEx.

The Air Force gave him discipline and direction, he said.

It wasn’t always easy – he saw difficult things, especially in Iraq.

But he enjoyed his time in uniform. In fact, as of mid-April he was planning to rejoin the military by signing up for the Washington Air National Guard.

The honor guard from VFW Post 7952 in Richland perform military rites at the funerals of local veterans. Those rites include a rifle salute and flag folding. The honor guard members are all volunteers and largely are retired.

| Courtesy Pam Swarner

Military service is something special, said Kyle Saltz, the outgoing commander of the Richland VFW. The 40-year-old joined the Army after high school, not long after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He went on to serve 11 years as a counterintelligence agent.

Saltz spent time in dangerous places, including Afghanistan.

During his service, he often volunteered to help provide military honors as fallen service members made their final journeys home from combat or as veterans were laid to rest.

For him, the Army became a family.

“When I got out, I was like, ‘What do I do?” said Saltz, who works for the Hanford Patrol and serves in the U.S. Army Reserve. Giving back to the veteran community and to the community as a whole through the VFW gives meaning and purpose, he said.

“A veteran has gained certain skills. They’ve learned to stand on their own and be strong. When they return to the community, it’s their duty to lead and help,” he said.

Providing military honors at veteran funerals is part of that.

“It’s a great thing. It really means a lot to the families,” Saltz said.

All volunteers

The VFW honor guard doesn’t charge for its service.

The veterans are all volunteers, and many of them are retired.

Jerry Peltier, 82, a Navy veteran and a former longtime West Richland City Council member and mayor, has been heading up the guard for years.

The honor guard members wear VFW uniforms with the medals and ribbons from their military service. During funerals, they do a rifle salute, a bugler plays taps, and a flag is folded and presented to the next of kin. Peltier arranges for active-duty service members from the late veterans’ branch to fold the flag.

Peltier was a Navy corpsman who served a year in Vietnam, working in a field hospital.

He became a leader in the West Richland VFW post, and he’ll soon be taking over command of the Richland VFW. Like Jacobs and Saltz, he was matter of fact about why he’s involved in the group and why the honor guard is important.

“It’s about giving a fellow comrade an honorable send-off,” he said. “All the members feel as I do – very proud to do this. You feel good to be able to do it.”