Military Funeral Honors
Coast Guard Base Los Angeles-Long Beach provides Military Funeral Honors to recently passed retired or honorably discharged Coast Guard veterans. Our area of responsibility includes Southern California from Morro Bay to San Clemente including Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura counties.
The Coast Guard will make every attempt to provide a funeral service detail when requested within our area of responsibility. Please provide the location, date, and time of the funeral to the Honor Guard Coordinator as soon as possible.
The following documents are required to request Military Funeral Honors:
HONOR GUARD COORDINATORS
Petty Officer First Class Laurin Malone
Detail Coordinator
(787) 729-2315
YNCM David Montoya
Detail Supervisor
(310) 521-6082
Burial At Sea
The Coast Guard Base Los Angeles-Long Beach Burial at Sea Coordinator can help arrange a burial at sea for cremated remains (ashes) of military personnel off the coast of the Los Angeles area. Burials are performed based on availability of operational units and subject to abrupt scheduling changes. Family members or next of kin are not authorized to be on board during the ceremony. While not required, a salt urn is recommended for ease of burial.
General Information: Active-duty members, their dependents, reservists, and retirees are eligible for Burial‐at‐Sea from onboard a Coast Guard asset. The burial ceremony is performed while the asset is deployed. As a result, family members are not allowed to be present. The Commanding Officer of the cutter or the Small Boat Coxswain assigned to perform the ceremony will notify the family of the date, time, longitude, and latitude, after the burial has been completed.
How to get started: After the passing of the individual, the Person Authorized to Direct Disposition (PADD) should print out and complete the Burial At Sea Request Form.
The following documents are required to request a burial at sea off the coast of Los Angeles, CA:
1. Burial At Sea Request Form
2. A photocopy of the death certificate
3. The cremation certificate
4. California Application and Permit for Disposition of Human Remains (VS-9 Burial Permit)
5. A copy of the DD Form 214, discharge certificate, or retirement order
Please note: A copy of the member’s DD-214 may be requested from the National Archives at www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/.
The Burial at Sea Request Form and supporting documents make up the Burial at Sea Request package and should be emailed (preferred method) or mailed via trackable means to the Burial at Sea Coordinator at: BaseLALB-BurialAtSea@uscg.mil
COMMANDING OFFICER
U.S. COAST GUARD BASE LOS ANGELS LONG BEACH
ATTN: BURIAL AT SEA COORDINATOR
1001 SOUTH SEASIDE AVE
SAN PEDRO CA 90731
Once the required documentation is received, the family will be provided with a representative aboard the Coast Guard asset to arrange shipmate of the remains.
Cremated Remains: The remains should be shipped from the family or mortuary directly to representative provided. Remains must be in an urn or plastic/metal container to prevent spillage in shipping.
VS-9 Permit: A California Application and Permit for Disposition of Human Remains is required. Normally, the funeral home who arranged the service or performed the cremation will be able to assist with getting this for you. Here in California, the VS-9 Burial Permit can be obtained from the nearest County Office of Vital Records by bringing an original death certificate and the transit permit from the state of death, if applicable. There will be a fee of approx. $12 associated with this permit. If the funeral home has any questions regarding the VS-9 Burial Permit, they may contact the Los Angeles County Public Health at (213) 288-7816 or visit their website at http://www.ph.lacounty.gov/dca/dcadeathburial.htm. If you are not in the Los Angeles area, be sure to have the VS-9 state: “at sea off the coast of [appropriate] County." Please use the following areas: Morro Bay to San Clemente including Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, or Ventura counties.
YNC Jonathan Wandsberg
Burial at Sea Coordinator
571-614-1841