Honoring Our Veterans

Family Legacy of Military and Funeral Service

At Symonds Family Chapels, caring for our fellow comrades in arms and their families is an honor and a privilege. We take care to ensure every veteran receives the honors and benefits they so rightfully earned by serving our country.


Owner Daniel Symonds Sr. is a second-generation licensed Funeral Director and retired U.S. Army Reservist, following in his father's footsteps of military and funeral service.


In addition to working in funeral service for his entire life, Daniel has served a total of five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He joined the U.S. Army Reserve following the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001.


Daniel has also served his country through training missions around the world, including: Panama, Germany, Korea and Malaysia. Daniel retired in 2026 after 24 years in the U.S. Army Reserves serving most recently as a First Sergeant for U.S. Army Reserve Public Affairs.



Daniel is proud to have come from a long line of military service, dating back to the Civil War, starting with his Great-Great Grandfather, Private Daniel Rufus Symonds of the Union Army, who he is named after. His family has had a member serve in every major war since the Civil War.

Military Honors for Great-Great Grandfather

In 2011, Daniel decided to research the life of his namesake, his great-great-grandfather Daniel Rufus Symonds. After some research, he discovered his great-great-grandfather was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave at Forest Home Cemetery - over a century after serving in the Union Army during the Civil War.


Daniel, himself an Army veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, made it his mission to see his great-great-grandfather properly honored. He tracked down military records, petitioned the Army, and arranged for his ancestor to be reburied with full military honors at Fort Sheridan Cemetery - beside Daniel's own brother, a fellow veteran.


It's a story that reflects what our family believes: that every life of service deserves to be remembered.

  • Who is Eligible for Military Funeral Honors?

    • Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve.
    • Former military members who served on active duty and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
    • Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
    • Former military members discharged from the Selected Reserve due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.

  • How do I establish Veteran Eligibility?

    The preferred method is the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.  If the DD Form 214 is not available, any discharge document showing other than dishonorable service can be used.  The DD Form 214 may be obtained by filling out a Standard Form 180 and sending it to:


    National Personnel Records Center(NPRC)

    9700 Page Blvd.

    St. Louis, MO 63132


    The Standard Form 180 may be obtained from the National Records Center or via the following web site: http://www.archives.gov/research/order/standard-form-180.pdf

  • For NOAA personnel

    Eligibility is established using NOAA Form 56-16, Report of Transfer or Discharge. If the family does not have a copy of the NOAA Form 56-16, it may by obtained by contacting the Chief, Officer Services Division, NOAA Commissioned Personnel Center at (301) 713-7715. or by writing:


    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

    Commissioned Personnel Center 

    Chief, Officer Services Division (CPC1) 

    1315 East-West Highway, Room 12100 

    Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

  • Who is not eligible for military funeral honors?

    • Any person separated from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions or whose character of service results in a bar to veteran's benefits. 
    • Any person who was ordered to report to an induction station, but was not actually inducted into military service. 
    • Any person discharged from the Selected Reserve prior to completing one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service for reasons other than a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.
    • Any person convicted of a Federal or State capital crime sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

  • Is anyone else eligible to receive Funeral Honors?

    Yes. Members of the Commissioned Officer Corps of the Public Health Service (PHS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as members of a Uniformed Service, are also eligible to receive funeral honors.

  • For phs personnel

    Funeral honors eligibility is established using PHS Form 1867, Statement of Service (equivalent to the DD Form 214).  If the family does not have a copy of the Statement of Service, it may be obtained by contacting the Privacy Coordinator for the Commissioned Corps at (240) 453-6041 or writing:


    Division of Commissioned Personnel/HRS/PSC 

    Attention: Privacy Act Coordinator 

    5600 Fishers Lane 

    4-36 

    Rockville, Maryland 20857

At Symonds Family Chapels, honoring those who served is more than a gesture - it's a commitment woven into who we are. Through Operation LOVE, we're proud to offer meaningful support and recognition to veterans and their families throughout our community, from service planning to lasting tributes of gratitude.