What is the significance of a 21 gun salute during a military funural?

Question

How did this originate and from where and when?

Answer 1

A 21 gun salute would not happen at a funeral unless it was a funeral for the President of the United States. A firing party fires at a typical funeral, but that's "Three rifle volleys" not a 21 guns salute. The 21 gun salute is CANNON FIRE, from cannons, not rifle volleys. Only the President gets a 21 gun salute. The Vice Prez would get a 19 gun salute, a 4 star general gets 17 guns, a 3 star gets 15, 2 star gets 13, one star gets 11. This is not the same thing as the rifle volley's fired by the firing party. It's two seperate sets of honors.

Above answers are completely wrong, not trying to be ugly, just passing on the facts. Edit: the answer about the guns was correct, but none about the funeral sequence.

Answer 2

The true basis behind the 21 gun salute comes from the fact that the USA was founded in 1776. If you add up the numbers 1+7+7+6 you get 21.

Over the years there have been other types of salutes, however the 21 gun salute is unique to this country for that very reason.

Answer 3

Enter 21-gun salute in Yahoo or Google. Wikipedia has good information on it.

The salute at funerals is the 3 volley salute. Done at funerals of military personnel. The President, geing the commander in chief receives the same honor.

Answer 4

The 21-gun salute is the highest honor that can be given by a nation. The 21-gun naval salute was first adopted by Great Britain, the predominant maritime power world in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was later accepted as an international salute.

Early naval gun salutes consisted of seven shots because that was the standard number of weapons on ships and because of mystical properties associated with the number seven. Land batteries, which had more gunpowder than ships, could fire three shots for every one fired at sea, and as a result, batteries on shore fired 21 gun salutes. When the quality of gunpowder improved and it could be stored better at sea, naval ships also adopted the 21-gun salute for greeting each other. In 1730, the British Royal Navy adopted the use of this salute as a commemoration of significant anniversaries. The 21-gun salute was later adopted as a salute to the Royal family as well.

In the United States, a "national salute" fired on July 4th (Independence Day), was adopted in 1810. This salute contained 17 shots, corresponding with the number of states in the Union at the time. In 1818, when there were 21 states in the Union, the Navy prescribed that a President of the United States should be saluted with 21 guns when visiting a navy ship. Shots were then added as the number of states in the Union increased. However, in 1841 the number of shots was decreased from 26 to 21, in accordance with the British practice. From that time on, the 21-gun salute began to be fired on Washington's Birthday (February 22) and on July 4th as well. This practice continued until 1875, when the United States formally adopted the 21-gun salute as its national and Presidential salute.

Today, the 21-gun salute is fired in the U.S. in honor of a national flag, the head of state of a foreign nation, a member of a reigning royal family, the President, the ex-president, or the President-elect of the United States. It is fired at noon on the day of the funeral of a President, ex-President, or President-elect, and on Memorial Day, as well as on Washington's Birthday, Presidents Day, and the Fourth of July. In order to incorporate the mystical powers of the number seven, squads of seven riflemen fire three shots each.


Bb gun
Browse a huge selection now. Find exactly what you want today.
www.ebay.com

Shotgun Ringtone
Send this complimentary ringtone to your phone right now!
BestRingDownloads.com


Wikipedia
Directory > Reference > Wikipedia 21-gun salute
The 21-gun salute is a military honour performed when 21 rounds are fired from a cannon, rifle, or other form of firearm.

A 21-gun salute is fired by the members of the U.S. Army.
Terminology

Answer 5

It's an old Navy tradition. To show that they were friends, warships would fire off 21, the standard number of cannons, empty shots when approaching their leader. Later, it became a sign of respect. The respect is still implied with today's 21-gun salute, but in a different way.

Answer 6

The 21 gun salute gives honor to a person who has served the coutry well just like a President. It originated from ancient military practices giving leaders honorary burial rites.

Answer 7

that is because of the fact decrease back interior the days of cruising ships, maximum British warships carried a broadside of 21 cannons. while they needed to tutor an drawing close friendly deliver that they too have been friendly and meant no injury, they could sparkling their weapons, all 21 at as quickly as, and ideas-set with weapons empty. the different deliver could reciprocate. for this reason, the 21 gun salute. for that reason, it grew to grow to be slightly a desirable salute that ships could do for the different. i replaced into extra of a formality than something, of direction. they could generally do it while they KNEW the different deliver replaced into friendly. Like I pronounced, it replaced into extra of a desirable salute than a tutor of stable faith.

Answer 8

What is the origin of the 21-gun salute?

The use of gun salutes for military occasions is traced to early warriors who demonstrated their peaceful intentions by placing their weapons in a position that rendered them ineffective. Apparently this custom was universal, with the specific act varying with time and place, depending on the weapons being used. A North African tribe, for example, trailed the points of their spears on the ground to indicate that they did not mean to be hostile.

The tradition of rendering a salute by cannon originated in the 14th century as firearms and cannons came into use. Since these early devices contained only one projectile, discharging them once rendered them ineffective. Originally warships fired seven-gun salutes--the number seven probably selected because of its astrological and Biblical significance. Seven planets had been identified and the phases of the moon changed every seven days. The Bible states that God rested on the seventh day after Creation, that every seventh year was sabbatical and that the seven times seventh year ushered in the Jubilee year.

Land batteries, having a greater supply of gunpowder, were able to fire three guns for every shot fired afloat, hence the salute by shore batteries was 21 guns. The multiple of three probably was chosen because of the mystical significance of the number three in many ancient civilizations. Early gunpowder, composed mainly of sodium nitrate, spoiled easily at sea, but could be kept cooler and drier in land magazines. When potassium nitrate improved the quality of gunpowder, ships at sea adopted the salute of 21 guns.

The 21-gun salute became the highest honor a nation rendered. Varying customs among the maritime powers led to confusion in saluting and return of salutes. Great Britain, the world's preeminent seapower in the 18th and 19th centuries, compelled weaker nations to salute first, and for a time monarchies received more guns than did republics. Eventually, by agreement, the international salute was established at 21 guns, although the United States did not agree on this procedure until August 1875.

The gun salute system of the United States has changed considerably over the years. In 1810, the "national salute" was defined by the War Department as equal to the number of states in the Union--at that time 17. This salute was fired by all U.S. military installations at 1:00 p.m. (later at noon) on Independence Day. The President also received a salute equal to the number of states whenever he visited a military installation.

In 1842, the Presidential salute was formally established at 21 guns. In 1890, regulations designated the "national salute" as 21 guns and redesignated the traditional Independence Day salute, the "Salute to the Union," equal to the number of states. Fifty guns are also fired on all military installations equipped to do so at the close of the day of the funeral of a President, ex-President, or President-elect.

Today the national salute of 21 guns is fired in honor of a national flag, the sovereign or chief of state of a foreign nation, a member of a reigning royal family, and the President, ex-President and President-elect of the United States. It is also fired at noon of the day of the funeral of a President, ex-President, or President-elect.

Gun salutes are also rendered to other military and civilian leaders of this and other nations. The number of guns is based on their protocol rank. These salutes are always in odd numbers.

Answer 9

it originated from ships emptying their guns before entering ports to show they were on a friendly cause.