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Army vet asks support for volunteer funeral honor guard

Posted at 5:24 PM, May 29, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-29 18:24:34-04

A St. Landry Parish veteran wants to ensure all those who served overseas are paid the highest respects when leaving this world, and he’s recruiting other veterans to help.

"We are the greatest nation on earth there’s no doubt about it all because of those who went forward, said I’m going to go and defend my country," says U.S. Army veteran, Link Savoie. He says he wants to dedicate his retirement to advocating for his own.
 
"We can’t forget the people who are making this country free," says Savoie.

When he saw an opportunity to make a change for the better, Link decided he would form a volunteer honor guard, specifically to carry out formal military procedures at funerals for veterans in St. Landry Parish. 

"I attended a lot of funerals for veterans, I noticed there were some things not quite right with the honor guards. There’s only one way to do a veterans funeral honor guard, it’s got to be perfect because the person that is deceased that you’re burying, in our eyes is a perfect person because he died defending our country," says Savoie.

He’s collecting donations and looking for young vets to join the group in hopes of creating a lasting tradition that veterans throughout the state will mirror to honor servicemen and women.

Donations can be made to:
American Legion Post 514, in care of Veterans Funeral Honor Guard 
P.O. Box 1145
Opelousas, LA 70571.

For those wanting to apply to join the guard, American Legion Post 514 in Opelousas has applications, or contact Mr. Savoie directly at 662-7283.