By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
Lyerly Funeral Home in Salisbury recently has formed its own honor guard to provide military rites for veterans.
“Our unit is different,” says Gregg Evans, a U.S. Air Force veteran.
While the Rowan County Veterans Honor Guard has a rifle squad that accompanies a detail from the N.C. National Guard, the Lyerly Funeral Home honor guard performs its duties inside churches or the funeral home’s own chapel.
Evans, a former member of the Rowan group, says the Lyerly honor guard includes 10 men — seven Air Force veterans, one Marine and two Army. They wear their original service uniforms, not the dark blue blazer, white shirt and gray pants of the other group.
The inside military rites include the recorded sounds of a rifle squad firing a three-round volley. An honor guard bugler plays “Taps,” and an American flag is folded and presented to family members of the deceased veteran.
The meaning of each of these three elements also is explained as part of the rites.
Members of the Lyerly’s Funeral Home honor guard include Evans, Carmon Adams, Don Burleson, Ronnie Campbell, Gary Eller, Larry Perrell, Willie Perrell, Carl Schreader, Bob Turner and David Waller.