Some recent military funerals in the region are not including full military honors because of the federal government shutdown that began last week.
Jerome Feltis, a licensed funeral director at Gregory J. Norman Funeral Chapel in Grand Forks, said he was first told Friday morning that a funeral on Saturday for a retired Navy sailor would not be attended by U.S. Navy Reserve members from the Navy Reserve Center in Fargo.
“I don’t recall that ever happening,” Felstis said, referring to previous government shutdowns.
The honors that would normally be performed by requested military personnel would include presenting a U.S. flag to the family members of the deceased. The total number of reserve or active service members who attend can vary between military branches, according to Feltis, but