Moving Forward Archive

For more than a year, a St. Landry Parish veteran has been on a crusade to see that every man and woman in the parish who served honorably in the U.S. military will be properly recognized when their lives are done.

He and fellow St. Landry Parish veterans who have been working toward that end say they have nearly reached the goal of creating the St. Landry Veterans Funeral Honor Guard, an organization that would be unique among Louisiana parishes.

According to its mission statement, it is being formed to ensure that every honorably discharged veteran from St.  Landry Parish can be buried “with dignity [and] full military honors.” It will be made up of volunteer veterans from the parish trained in formal military funeral procedures. Each detail will include a full rifle squad, a flag folding detail, a bugler, and, if requested by the family, six pallbearers.

The honor guard will be available through the funeral homes in the parish and will be scheduled through a coordinator to be sure it does not interfere with any other ceremonies provided by an American Legion or VFW Post. It will be available only for funerals in St. Landry Parish and will not be available for any other community activity, according to Sunset native Lincoln “Link” Savoie, coordinator.

“We have approximately 5,500 veterans in St. Landry Parish and they continue to give as they have while on active duty,” Savoie said in a letter to potential honor guard members and donors.

Over the past year, Savoie has received endorsements for the honor guard from the St. Landry Parish Council and governing bodies of each of the 12 municipalities in the parish, as well as veterans’ groups and civic organizations parishwide.

Organizers are now reviewing a list of veterans who have volunteered to serve as honor guard members. The ones that are picked “should be ready to drill, drill, drill, practice, practice and practice,” Savoie said, “because when I put them in uniform, it’s going to be second to none no matter how long it takes.”

What’s most needed now is funding, and Savoie is confident that the parish citizenry will provide the $21,000 needed to get the group trained and properly equipped. That includes a dozen weapons at $600 each and 20 uniforms at $700 apiece

“Now what I’m trying to get across to the public is the groundwork has been laid. Everything is ready to be purchased. Now, the parish has got to support their veterans,” he said.

Savoie, a retired Army officer who served in Korea and Vietnam, is a past state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He has been working on the honor guard project principally through American Legion Post 514 in Opelousas. He said he hopes veterans in other parishes will be inspired to form their own groups to take some stress off honor guards now provided by soldiers from Fort Polk and the Louisiana National Guard.

Donations can be made to American Legion Post 514, in care of the Veterans Funeral Honor Guard, P.O. Box 1145, Opelousas, LA, 70571. Donors for weapons will have their names inscribed on the weapons and all donors will be recognized on the honor guard’s website, stlandryvetshonorguard.com.

For more information, contact Link Savoie at 337-662-7283.