Patriotic Funeral Program — Bifold
Stars and stripes, with an order of service that includes military honors.
1 sheet, printed both sides, folded once · US Letter
For those who served
3 Military and Veteran Funeral Program Templates
A service with military honors has moments no other funeral has: the colors, the folding of the flag, Taps. The Patriotic template places them in the order of service and leaves room for rank, branch and years of service beside the name. Two plainer designs follow for families who want the honors listed without the stars and stripes.
Three designs
Veteran funeral programs in Word, Google Docs and PDF
Honors in the order
Inside the Patriotic program
Order of service with military honors
What honors include
Military funeral honors and where they go in the program
In the United States, an eligible veteran’s family may request military funeral honors. By law the ceremony includes at least two uniformed service members, the folding and presentation of the United States flag to the next of kin, and the playing of Taps. A rifle volley, a colour guard or pallbearers may be added when a detail or a veterans organization can provide them.
On the program these usually come at the end of the service or at the graveside:
- Posting or presenting of the colors, at the start
- The service itself: invocation, readings, remembrance, message
- Rifle salute (three volleys), if provided
- Taps
- Folding and presentation of the flag
- Benediction; retiring of the colors
Honors are arranged through the funeral director, who will ask for discharge papers (DD Form 214). Confirm with the director which elements the detail will perform before you print them.
Name and rank
How to write a veteran’s name and service
The cover can carry rank before the name, written out or abbreviated in the service’s own style, with the branch beneath or after: Staff Sergeant James W. Brooks, United States Army, Retired. Families who prefer the civilian name on the cover often move rank and branch to the first line of the biography.
In the biography, give branch, years of service, where the person served and any decorations the family wishes named. Many veterans spoke little about their awards; a sentence about the people they served with can say more.
Usual sequence
Funeral Order of Service
With a military variation.
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All bifolds
Bifold Funeral Programs
Sixteen single-fold designs.
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Verses
Poems, Verses and Quotes
Scripture and poems to print.
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Questions families ask
Who can receive military funeral honors?
Generally, service members who died on active duty and veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. The funeral director or the veteran’s branch confirms eligibility; this page describes the program, not the rules.
Can I put a branch seal or emblem on the program?
The templates do not include service seals, because each branch controls how its emblems are used. A photograph of the person in uniform is the usual and most personal way to show their service.
What verse suits a veteran’s program?
John 15:13, Psalm 23 and 2 Timothy 4:7 are the most used. The Patriotic template closes with Duty, Honor, Country, which you can replace with the motto of the person’s own branch.
Free funeral templates · Updated through October 2026 · by David Nelsen. Every name, date and place printed on these templates is invented sample wording; each file is opened in Microsoft Word and Google Docs before it is published.