Final Honor

Complimentary Horse-Drawn Funeral Carriage
at the Miramar National Cemetery

Please call Final Honor at 760-445-1981 to make arrangements.

This dignified service is available for any Veteran, regardless of rank,
whose family would like to enhance the closure of their loved one.

What does this service include?

This service includes a black carriage, one white horse, one driver and a ground person. We maintain three horses per carriage. The ground person is essential for safety. The cost for this service also includes daily travel to and from the cemetery with horse, carriage and staff in a horse trailer; maintenance of vehicles, horses and their equipment; staff uniforms; insurance and our guarantee of first-class service. The carriage is equipped to accommodate one casket or cremated remains (urn).

What is your availability?

We are available, rain or shine, approximately 255-260 days annually or every day Miramar National Cemetery is open for services during the hours of 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. with additional hours/days for special services, if necessary. Our carriage service is available for holiday events such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day and for any public relations event that the Support Foundation/sponsors feel would benefit from our attendance.

At the present time, the carriage can comfortably accommodate a service every 30 minutes. In the future, depending on staging area/committal shelter proximity, the carriage could handle services at 15-minute intervals on very busy days.

Who is eligible for this service?

All United States veterans may use this service. We estimate 2,500 to 3,000 veterans yearly will have this service at no cost to their families.

What are your future plans?

As soon as finances will allow, a second carriage is planned. This will serve as a backup for regular maintenance and upkeep, ensuring no disruption to the service. This will also provide for inevitably busy times; we can then bring in the second carriage to maintain a comfortable schedule and accommodate a special service. At that time, our annual costs may have to be adjusted if we are using the second carriage much more than anticipated.

If my organization becomes a sponsor for this endeavor, what can we expect in return?

The horse and carriage are transported together in a 24-foot horse trailer pulled by a truck. Corporate logos and names can be tastefully displayed all over the two vehicles as "proud sponsors." All business cards and promotional literature, as well as our website, will include the names of all sponsors at any level, with the largest sponsor having "top billing," so to speak. Final Honor will endorse sponsors' products and services, if at all possible. In some cases, sponsors may wish to remain anonymous. Whatever the sponsors' preference, we will abide by their choice.

Miramar National Cemetery is the only cemetery in North America that offers this service to veterans, regardless of rank, at no charge. Apart from the obvious pride and honor of giving back to the people who gave their time and lives in service to our nation, this will be a lasting legacy, a final tribute and thank you for their service. And, in a small way, a family will know their loved one was valued and not forgotten by the country they served.