On Writing A Veteran's Eulogy

By: Matthew Funeral Home
Monday, July 24, 2023

When a loved one passes away, it is important for a close family member or friend to write a eulogy for them. When a veteran passes, there are additional aspects to consider mentioning in your speech. This article will focus on those more specific items.

Acknowledging Their Service

For many veterans, their military service is a big part of the funeral. Veterans will often receive a special service handled by the armed forces, so it is important to acknowledge their service in your eulogy. 

Do Your Research

Do some research on your loved one’s service. Try speaking to friends and family about their time in the military. Consider researching your loved one’s unit, or speaking with their fellow servicemen if possible. 

Share Memories and Stories

Consider sharing tasteful stories from your loved one’s service that they might have told you. You may want to check with another close family member or friend to ensure that you have the story right before you mention it. 

Their Life After War

It is also equally important to talk about the veteran’s life after their service. If they served in WWII or Vietnam, for example, they led a long life beyond the military. Be sure to mention loved ones and highlights of the rest of their life. 

Practice Makes Perfect

Practicing your speech will help you deal with the pressures of public speaking, and it can help you clean it up. Rehearsing your eulogy can make it easier to get through some of the more emotional beats. Additionally, practicing will help you cut out more problematic wordings or spots that may trip you up.

For over 50 years, Matthew Funeral Home has been serving the Staten Island community. We can help with almost every aspect of your loved one’s memorial service. Our family is here to serve yours, every step of the way.

Leave a comment
Name*:
Email:
Comment*:
Please enter the numbers and letters you see in the image. Note that the case of the letters entered matters.
Refresh
Audio

Comments

Please wait

Previous Posts

Choosing Your Loved One's Urn

When choosing an urn for your loved one’s cremated remains, there are many aspects to consider. Urns come in an array of shapes, sizes, colors, styles, and materials. It can be difficult to figure ...

Preplanning: Taking Charge of Your Own Funeral

There are many reasons to preplan your funeral, from mitigating costs to making your funeral easier for your loved ones upon your passing. But one important aspect of preplanning your funeral is es...

When is Grief Good?

Grief can make us feel like a great weight rests on our shoulders. Grieving can be a challenging, and often overwhelming, experience. Although grief is brought upon us by loss and sorrow, is it tru...

Grieving Pets

When a loved one passes, every member of the family is affected, even your pets. Dogs, cats, and other family pets can experience grief and can even mourn for a loved one. Below, we will discuss gr...

Grief and Dealing With Suicide

When faced with the loss of a loved one, the grief can be devastating. But when a loved one takes their own life, the grief that families feel afterward can often be complicated. According to the A...

Sunlight and Combatting Grief

As the weather gets warmer and summer is on the horizon, it is time for many people to schedule vacations and weekend outings. For people dealing with grief and depression, it may seem difficult to...

Grief and Selfishness

Grief is a complex emotional state. For many people, grief can bring out different sides of us. And while grief is not an excuse to act out, or be a bad person, it can often be a defense mechanism....

The First Mother's Day Without Her

Mother’s Day is a time we celebrate those who devoted their lives to caring for us, and for bringing us into the world. But it can also be a solemn reminder after the passing of your mother. The lo...

Can I be Both Cremated and Buried?

While most people assume you have to choose between burial or cremation at the end of life, there are more options available. One is to choose both. You can choose burial and cremation together. Be...

Retiring In Stages

Retiring at 65 has been a common aspect of the American lifestyle for generations, but full retirement at that age may not be in the cards for everyone. With costs of living consistently on the ris...