EVERETT [NAVAL STATION EVERETT] — Sailors assigned to the Naval Station Everett volunteer throughout the year for the Navy Funeral Honors program, providing final military honors for eligible Navy veterans in the Pacific Northwest to deliver the dignity, respect and recognition they earned in life.
In 2025, Naval Station Everett sailors supported 520 funeral honors services. Already in 2026, they have completed 165 services — with another 500 scheduled for June alone. Across Navy Region Northwest, the program supported 4,307 services in 2025 and 1,415 through May 21 of this year.
“Funeral honors are one of the most sacred responsibilities we have as a Navy installation,” said Capt. Stacy Wuthier, commanding officer of Naval Station Everett. “Honoring the memory of those who served before us is a duty we take seriously, and we are honored to support families, communities and organizations when they request this final tribute for eligible Navy veterans.”
Once a request is received, station personnel verify eligibility, review documentation and coordinate every detail — date, time, location, flag presentation and team assignment. Sailors then prepare uniforms, ceremonial equipment and travel plans. Both active-duty members and Navy reservists participate, ensuring the program runs smoothly year-round.
At each service, sailors in dress uniforms fold the American flag with crisp precision, present it to the designated recipient and render a final salute as “Taps” echoes across the grounds — whether at a national cemetery, funeral home, church or private graveside. The process is deliberate and designed to ensure the ceremony is conducted with dignity and without error.
For Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Justin Warren, who leads the Funeral Honors program at Naval Station Everett, professionalism is paramount.
“Our Sailors understand the importance of what they are being asked to do,” Warren said. “Every service deserves our full attention, whether there are many people present or only a few. The Naval Station Everett team takes pride in preparing properly, arriving ready and rendering honors in a way that reflects the service and sacrifice of the veteran being remembered.”
For Luis “Lou” Montoya, Director of Casualty and Funeral Honors for Navy Region Northwest, the work carries a personal meaning.
“After serving more than 20 years on active duty and continuing in federal civil service managing this mission, I am honored to still be able to serve in this way,” Montoya said. “But the heavy lifting is done by our dedicated team of funeral honors specialists at the regional office and by the Sailors who carry out these honors. Their professionalism makes it possible to honor the memories of our fellow shipmates and ensure they receive the final tribute they earned.”
Naval Station Everett does not locate unclaimed deceased veterans; however it does partner with Missing in America Project (MIAP) which identifies and honors forgotten veterans. As recently as April 22, Naval Station Everett sailors provided full honors at Tahoma National Cemetery for World War I veterans whose remains were recovered through MIAP.
“Our goal is to make sure veterans are honored regardless of their circumstances, background or whether they have family present to make those arrangements,” Thomas E. Keating, MIAP Washington State Coordinator said. “If they served this country and earned that burial and those honors, we want to help make sure they are not forgotten.”
Once a possible veteran is identified at a funeral home, cemetery, coroners or medical examiner office, MIAP works to confirm eligibility for burial in a national or state veterans cemetery through the National Cemetery Scheduling and Eligibility Office. After eligibility is confirmed, MIAP schedules the service and may request a Funeral Honors Team.
MIAP began in 2006 when the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery interred 21 unclaimed veterans with full military honors. The project expanded nationwide in January 2007 by Vietnam veteran Fred Salanti. In Washington state this year, MIAP has already conducted four services honoring 80 veterans and 47 dependents, with nine more scheduled, Keating shared.
For Naval Station Everett, the Funeral Honors program is a living link between today’s sailors and those who came before them. Its message and mission remained resolute: military service does not end with the final day in uniform and that the Navy keeps faith with its own to deliver the dignity, respect and recognition they earned in life.
To learn more about the Navy Region Northwest funeral honors program, visit: https://cnrnw.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAVBASE-Kitsap/Operations-and-Management/Funeral-Honors/
Snohomish County is home to approximately 45,680 military veterans, and Naval Station Everett—one of the United States military’s strategic West Coast ports—has been integral to the county’s culture, character, and economy for over 30 years. It is home to seven Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers — the USS Kidd, Gridley, Sampson, John Paul Jones, John S. McCain, Barry and Benfold — plus a Coast Guard buoy tender and about 6,000 sailors and civilians, and the station is slated to become the future homeport for the first 12 Constellation-class frigates.
On May 20, Command Master Chief Jeffrey Fleming on behalf of Naval Station Everett accepted both a Resolution from the Snohomish County Council and a proclamation from Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers at the Snohomish County Council Chambers that formally recognized Memorial Day. The proclamation urged residents to observe a national moment of remembrance at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, May 25, by pausing for one minute “to honor all who died in military service.”
Below are cities within Snohomish County that participate in the U.S. Navy’s Adopt-a-Ship program, partnering with ships homeported at Naval Station Everett:
- Marysville adopted the USS Ingraham (FFG-61) in April 1999. The city later named Ingraham Boulevard in the ship’s honor.
- Mill Creek adopted the USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) in March 2019.
- Lynnwood adopted the USS Sampson (DDG-102) in September 2019.
- Mukilteo adopted the USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53) in 2025. The effort involves partnerships with the Mukilteo Kiwanis, South Everett Mukilteo Rotary Club, and Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce.
Author: Lynnwood Times Contributor
