An hour before the funeral, he’d meet with his fellow Veterans Honor Guard members.
He’d then help prepare the rifles and the flag, stand at attention as the squad fired a salute and listen to “Taps.” He’d watched as the stars and stripes were folded into a tight triangle and pray as the fallen soldier’s next-of-kin dissolved into tears.
One thousand times he’s done this in his 20 years as the guard’s chaplain.
Trisler and the other Honor Guard members go to burials in Monroe County, Lawrence County and wherever they are requested. They bury young people and old people, strangers and friends.
“We’re all veterans, and we consider it an honor to do this because that is the last thing that we can do for that veteran,” guard member Jim Arnold said.
Arnold and Butch Denniston have the job most of the guard can’t do without crying. They stand under the tent and present the family member with the flag.
Arnold said he realizes the family won’t remember what the guard tells them, that their minds are off somewhere else.
He said the burials, two of them just this week, make him think about his own longevity — something he didn’t consider in battle.
“I never thought about dying when I was in it,” said Erwin Cooper, another Honor Guard member. “Back then it was always about survival.”
On the eve of Veterans Day, the group of eight men and one woman buried their 90th soldier of the year.
They said the woman who accepted the flag had tears dripping off her chin.
“It gives the family closure,” Trisler said. “I enjoy making people happy, and it seems that most families are happy when their loved ones are recognized for what they gave our country.”
After each burial the group goes to the American Legion Post 18. The bar is one of the places veterans in Bloomington can come to be among people with a shared experience. They drink cheap beer and iced tea and talk about their time in war — or they don’t talk about it.
One man remembers bringing a dead body to the morgue in Vietnam. When they pulled the body’s wrist from the bag to look for signs of identification, the hand snapped clean off.
Everyone in the bar has mental scars, said Gordon Kirk, the second vice commander of the legion.
Though most of the people filling the tables are more acquainted with death than anyone would like, the legion’s commander said Veterans Day is mainly about celebrating the soldiers who survived.
These are the soldiers whose muscle memory still snaps them to attention at the sound of a command and who still tear up at the sound of “Taps.”
“Do you know what ‘Taps’ means, what it symbolizes?” Arnold asked. “That the veteran has given his all during his life and the day is done and they can go home and rest.”
Today the group will celebrate Veterans Day. On Friday, the year’s 91st person will receive a gun salute from the Veterans Honor Guard.
