'I still get emotional,' Arlington Heights honor guard commander says of graveside honors

Often seen at the front of parades and patriotic ceremonies, the Arlington Heights-based Merle Guild American Legion Post 208 Color Guard also has the rare distinction of being one of the few in the state certified by the Department of Defense to render military funeral honors.

Gene Fehringer has participated in seemingly countless graveside ceremonies as a member of the unit for 22 years, including the last 16 as its commander. He runs a tight ship with the 15-member guard, holding monthly drills at the Legion post to practice formations, and making sure his men are "dressed well (and) look sharp" in their uniforms for all the services they attend.

"My big thing with the guys - if we're doing an honor at a gravesite - and I say, 'Fire!' I wanna hear those rifles go off at the same time," Fehringer said of the seven riflemen who fire three times for a 21-gun salute.

All of the honor guard's activities are on hold for now, including the graveside honors, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The guard was to have helped lead off the 101st annual Arlington Heights Memorial Day Parade on May 25, until organizers last week decided to cancel it.

The guard was doing two or three funerals a month for veterans in Arlington Heights and neighboring towns until the state-ordered shutdown in March.

"That'll all resume when we get through this," Fehringer said. "We do want to honor these veterans when they pass, when we can."

Local funeral home directors have Fehringer on their speed dial, contacting him if the family of a deceased veteran requests the military honors. Fehringer then puts out a call to his guys. Most are in the 70s and retired, and have more availability to attend the daytime funerals these days. A decade ago, many of the vets were still working, and they could often only show up at evening wakes.

He hopes to attract new, younger veterans to keep the honor guard going.

"It's just a matter of time. Our guys are old," said Fehringer, 78, who served in the Army from 1962 to 1965. "We're not going to continue to be able to do this. We need new people and we don't have them."

"We're one of the only honor guards around that does this anymore," he added. "But we're proud and happy to do it."

Greg Padovani, a member of the honor guard usually charged with presenting the folded American flag to family members, called Fehringer the "driving force" behind the group. The graveside services are free for veterans' families, and available to honor any veteran of any branch of service.

"It's one of the more profound things that touches so many people," said Padovani, who is also chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee of Arlington Heights and a village trustee.

Each ceremony includes the 21-gun salute, a bugler playing "Taps," and folding and presentation of the American flag to the family. Oftentimes, members of the guard don't know the veteran they're honoring, but sometimes, Fehringer says, the moment "still gets to us."

"I see some tears in some of the guys' eyes once in a while," he said. "As long as I've been doing it, I still get emotional. It's a big deal."