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 Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation’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 Staff
2 Responses
My name is Nina. I am sending this message because I have read this article about how honorable it is to receive funeral honors. I am desperate to find the proper coordinator to give the respect and honor that my dad deserves. He is having his funeral this June 12, 2026. We have a funeral director to assist us. Proper paperwork has been provided accordingly. However I was disappointed to hear from my funeral director today June 9, 2026 that the Navy coordinator, I believe mentioned that they will not be able to provide the 21 gun salute at my fathers funeral this June 12, 2026 due to the lack of staff and proper training to facilitate this. I don’t understand, how disrespectful and shameful that is to hear that my dad of more than 21 years in the service, the Navy will NOT be giving the proper honors and respect that he deserves at his funeral at Mountain View Memorial in Tacoma, Wa. After reading this article and hearing that my funeral director has placed many calls and emails to the proper department, and is still struggling to this day, to find away to make this happen should not be the case. I was told she is seeking volunteers to assist with the 21 gun salute. Really? Our family has to deal with the fact that our father passed away and he is turned down by the Navy because of lack of staff and proper training? The article says they take funeral honors seriously, but it just broke my heart that the Navy will not provide the proper honors. We were told he will receive the Taps and the flag only. That is NOT acceptable. Military family members would and should agree with me. I am very sad and our family feels disrespected. I too, take this matter seriously and am hoping something changes, or my funeral director is able to find Navy volunteers to fulfill this portion of the funeral service before this Friday. This may be minor to those whose family did not serve the military, but it is a very special, impactful and honorable part of a proper military funeral send off that my dad rightfully deserves. Thank you to anybody who reads this and just wanted to put this comment out there for anyone who can help.
Sorry, I would like to retract my previous statement regarding the 21 gun salute. I meant 3-Volley salute. Our family requested and filed our paperwork properly, 6 months ago, when my dad passed in December 2025 and was cremated. Now that he is finally being placed to rest, it is disappointing. They should have had ample time and effort to prepare, search and schedule for a qualified team of Naval volunteers. Six months…Why am I only hearing this two days before his funeral. I already printed out his church and military funeral programs outlining the order of service which includes the 3-Volley salute. Please have a better response than, “due to the lack of staff and proper training,” as an absolute and final answer. It sounds like the Navy coordinators have decided to not make any further efforts. My funeral director is a civilian, not in any military service, yet she is making last minute efforts and struggling, making calls and sending emails to provide my dad the military funeral that he is eligible for and deserves. Should that not be the responsibility of the Navy coordinators? I understand that the standard playing of Taps and the folding and presentation of the flag is part of the service, but again, he is a Navy veteran eligible for this 3-Volley salute. To hear that this will NOT be included is disappointing. My uncle and my co-worker’s father had the 3-Volley salute, I witnessed this at their funeral. Why is the Navy having lack of staff and lack of proper training to facilitate this? Make time to prepare, make effort to train those who volunteer and make time to inform the families ahead of time that this will not be included in the service. In this Lakewood Times article above, Capt. Stacy Wuthier, commanding officer of Naval Station Everett says, “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.” Futhermore, Justin Warren, who leads the Funeral Honors program at Naval Station Everett, says, “The Naval Station Everette 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.”
I only have one dad and I am broken hearted to “feel” that his Navy service men/women have forgotten him. His name is PETER, he was a proud Navy veteran, a husband, an uncle, a friend, a grandfather….he was my dad.