Taps

Yesterday was a day of unity, sorrow and incredible pride.

Yesterday, we attended the funeral for my tio (uncle) Ebaristo.

My tio was a very soft-spoken man.  He was a good, family man who married the love of his life, raised his sons and was always kept himself busy on DIY projects on his house.  He taught himself to play guitar, and even during his final days, when he was so incredibly sick and so weak, he would be caught playing air guitar in his bed at hospice and tapping his foot(!)

The mass at the church was beautiful and the singer/guitarist was I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E

I seriously could have sat there and listened to her all day.

Well, after serving 20 years in the United States Air Force, he was given full military honors at his funeral.

Here are the six USAF Honor Guards ready to serve as the casket team.

The perfect folding of the United States flag that draped his casket.

Did you know each fold holds a meaning?  They do:

Fold 1: Life on earth;

Fold 2: Eternal life;

Fold 3: The veteran who gave a portion of his life for the defense of the United States;

Fold 4: Humanity's weaker nation and the American's reliance on God during both peacetime and wartime;

Fold 5: Tribute to our country;

Fold 6: The state of the American's heart;

Fold 7: The United States Armed Forces;

Fold 8: Tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death that humanity might see the light of day;

Fold 9: A tribute to motherhood;

Fold 10: A tribute to fatherhood;

Fold 11: The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Jewish citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Fold 12: The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

  
Here is the folded flag in the shape of a bicorne hat:

The firing of the volley shots as a salute:

Then the lone bugler played "Taps":

"On behalf of the President of the United States, the Department of the Air Force, and a grateful nation, we offer this flag for the faithful and dedicated service of Ebaristo Aguilar."

My tia was then presented with the three spent shell casings from the volley shots.  I love this picture because my tia is holding the United States flag, the crucifix and the shell casings:

 We are very proud of you,Tio.  Thank you for being such a wonderful husband to my tia, such a good dad to your sons and thank you for serving our country.

December 26, 1934-March 26, 2012

May you Rest in Peace.