“My dad (WW2...German POW)and Mom are in the Columbarium. It took about 2 months to schedule each interment. My dad’s had the band, catafalque, etc. My mom’s was a dignified ceremony at my dad’s niche with a minister only. They do know how to be respectful of those who gave for their country.”
Similar for my dad. 3 war vet, WWII Africa/Germany POW, Korea, VN/Cambodia advisor. It took 2 months to get his ashes buried at Arlington, but they did the whole thing. Horse-drawn carriage with the polished wood box with his ashes, bugler, and salute. The minister happened to be the Chaplain for my cousin’s Maryland Guard unit. I was chosen to receive the flag, which I consider to be quite an honor. The absolute precision with which they carry out the rites and honors is amazing.
The whole ceremony took about half an hour from our leaving the reception center to our return there. The minister told us a bit about the men who serve as the honor guard and what it takes to be one of them. Also told us how many times a day they do what they do. At the time, it was 4 times a day, and that was before the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
The little brochure about Arlington that they gave me was very interesting. All graves there are the same, officers and enlisted lie side-by-side. Each service branch “takes care of its own”.