1.   An old World War I veteran had died, and his family wanted a military funeral for him.

2.   But base realignments and closures and force reductions have put military funeral details in overwhelming demand, especially in California, Texas and other states with high veteran populations.

3.   My brother-in-law asked if I want a military funeral.

4.   Over the years, team members have grown expert in the idiosyncrasies of military funeral ritual, and the longer eulogy is one of them.

5.   Sobered by the death, the nurses marched behind her hearse in a military funeral.

6.   The full military funeral was held under gray skies and attended by hundreds of veterans, friends, relatives and well-wishers, including Secretary of Defense William Cohen.

7.   The law states that the DOD provide, at a minimum, a ceremonial flag-folding, flag presentation and the playing of taps at military funerals.

8.   The playing of taps eventually was written into Army regulations as a regular part of a military funeral.

9.   The U.S. Code specifies that former members of the Army may wear uniforms only during certain ceremonies such as parades, memorial services and military funerals.

10.   To counter these deficiencies, Congress last year passed a law requiring the Defense Department to provide military funeral honors for Air Force veterans.