Operation Honor Guard

10/13/2026

Teaching Tuesday 🇺🇸

Today we’re highlighting the Three-Volley Salute — one of the most solemn and meaningful traditions in a military funeral.
The tradition dates back to old battlefield customs, when fighting would pause so the dead and wounded could be recovered. Three r***e volleys signaled that the fallen had been cared for and the battle could resume.

Today, the Three-Volley Salute serves as a final tribute to a veteran’s service, sacrifice, and life. It is a powerful act of respect for the fallen and a meaningful moment for the families left behind.
It is also often confused with a 21-gun salute, but the two are not the same.

The Three-Volley Salute is the ceremony most commonly performed by a funeral Honor Guard for veterans.
At Operation Honor Guard, we believe these traditions matter — because every veteran deserves to be honored with dignity.

Stand Tall. Honor All.

10/09/2026

ON THE SITREP THIS WEEK:

We’re breaking down two major veterans-benefits bills moving through Congress.... the Major Richard Star Act and the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act... including what could change for combat-injured veterans, survivors, and some National Guard and Reserve members.

In the broader Take care of America's Veterans Act.... Critics, including several veterans service organizations, are not in favor of using projected savings from proposed changes to sleep apnea and tinnitus disability ratings to help pay for the package.

The changes would generally affect future claims, not automatically reduce existing ratings, but opponents argue future veterans could receive less compensation for those conditions.

Supporters counter the rating changes modernize VA criteria and redirect the savings toward expanded veterans benefits.

We are also highlighting an honor guard unit in Maryland who stepped up and answered the call.... providing a r***e team for a Navy Pilot's funeral.

STAND TALL. HONOR ALL. 🇺🇸

10/07/2026

🇺🇸 You ask. Veterans answer.

Introducing Ask a Veteran, a new Operation Honor Guard segment sharing stories and perspectives from the men and women who served.

What was basic training really like? What do veterans miss about military life? Why is it so important for younger veterans to step up and carry on traditions like military funeral honors?

Every veteran has a story... and we want your questions to help shape the conversation.

Drop your questions in the comments! We’ll choose questions to ask our veterans in future episodes. Yours could be next.

Stand Tall. Honor All.

10/06/2026

🇺🇸 TEACHING TUESDAY: What do “military funeral honors” actually mean?

Many Americans picture a full Honor Guard, r***e volley, color guard and multiple veterans standing graveside when they think of a military funeral.

But that isn’t always what a family receives.

For an eligible veteran, the government-provided military funeral detail generally includes at least two uniformed service members, the folding and presentation of the American flag, and the sounding of Taps.

The fuller ceremony many families recognize often depends on volunteer veteran Honor Guard members who step in to provide additional traditions, including r***e volleys, color guards, pallbearers and a larger ceremonial presence.

It's exactly why Operation Honor Guard exists.

Across the country, many of these volunteer Honor Guard members are getting older. Many purchase their own uniforms, equipment and fuel, and they continue showing up in the heat, cold, rain and snow because they believe one thing:

No veteran should take their final journey without the honor they earned.

Operation Honor Guard is working to equip these teams, recruit the next generation of volunteers and preserve these traditions for the families who will need them tomorrow.

This isn’t about making a funeral bigger.

It’s about making sure a veteran’s final salute never becomes a tradition America simply doesn’t have enough people left to perform.

🇺🇸 Stand Tall. Honor All.

Learn more or support the mission at
www.operationhonorguard.us

10/05/2026

Every military farewell tells a story of service, sacrifice and a life worth remembering. 🇺🇸

So each Monday in October.... Operation Honor Guard will be sharing a series exploring the funeral traditions of each military branch.... the customs, symbols and meaning behind the final salute.

We want to help you understand what you’re witnessing, why it matters to the families left behind and why these traditions deserve to be carried forward.

For a grieving family, that farewell can become a memory they hold onto for the rest of their lives.

Follow along, share what you learn and help us keep these traditions alive.

Stand Tall. Honor All.

10/02/2026

Our Executive Director Brandon Merano is sharing his emotional story of why this mission is so important to us here at Operation Honor Guard..
R.I.P. Brian... see you in the skies. - Merano

10/02/2026

WOWZA!!! Thank you to all who donated, sponsored, participated and broadcasted. Our hearts are full and we love our East Tennessee family! It’s been 10 years of generosity. Final military honors in East Tennessee will continue because of you! 🫡🇺🇸
WATE 6 On Your Side Lori Tucker WATE TV

10/01/2026

East Tennessee is showing up today! 🫡🇺🇸

Update on Operation Honor Guard Day of Giving— with more than two hours to go, here’s the total so far!
Let’s keep it going! Call 865-582-4985 to donate. Thank you so much!

10/01/2026

Introducing The SITREP—every Thursday!

I’m Brandon Merano, Executive Director of Operation Honor Guard. Before joining OHG, I spent 14 years in television journalism, including as an anchor at WCIA. I’m also an Air Force combat veteran and former KC-135 boom operator, with two combat deployments and humanitarian and medevac missions. Serving our country and telling its stories have shaped who I am—and I’m bringing both experiences to The SITREP.

Each Thursday, we’ll cover military and veteran news, legislation affecting those who served, and the volunteer honor guards preserving the tradition of honoring our veterans one final time.

Help us shape each week’s report! Know an honor guard deserving recognition? Have a veteran’s story to share or a topic you’d like explained? Leave a comment or message us with what you want covered or highlighted.

Follow OHG, share with a fellow veteran, and join me every Thursday!

Stand Tall. Honor All.
www.operationhonorguard.us

10/01/2026

Introducing The SITREP—every Thursday!

I’m Brandon Merano, Executive Director of Operation Honor Guard. Before joining OHG, I spent 14 years in television journalism, including as an anchor at WCIA, and reporter at WBBM in Chicago. I’m also an Air Force combat veteran and former KC-135 boom operator, with two combat deployments and humanitarian and medevac missions. Serving our country and telling its stories have shaped who I am—and I’m bringing both experiences to The SITREP.

Each Thursday, we’ll cover military and veteran news, legislation affecting those who served, and the volunteer honor guards preserving the tradition of honoring our veterans one final time.

Help us shape each week’s report! Know an honor guard deserving recognition? Have a veteran’s story to share or a topic you’d like explained? Leave a comment or message us with what you want covered or highlighted.

Follow OHG, share with a fellow veteran, and join me every Thursday!

Stand Tall. Honor All.
www.operationhonorguard.us