Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 8/21/2011

Question
I am a licensed funeral director/embalmer and want to serve my country in the armed forces. I am 29, male, and in good standing ethically and phsically.  Are there opportunities for me to use my education (B.S. in Funeral Sciences) and experiences (6+ years) as a F.D./Embalmer within the service.  I have been told most of these things are contracted out to civilian employees.  I am set on enlisting (currently looking at enlisted vs. officer and branch of service), but would like to offer my time in my professional field.

Answer
Luke,
Are you sure about going enlisted vs. officer?  I know several people with Bachelor's Degrees who decided to enlist and immediately regretted it.  Sure, they can always try to go to OCS but that's a lot like winning the lottery.  Now they're stuck.  They have more experience and knowledge than their boss but have to do things they don't agree with.  I would never recommend going enlisted to anyone with a college degree.  If nothing else, the pay is over #1300 per month difference.

Anyway, about mortuary affairs.  You are correct in that most of the services have civil service employees (civilians) in mortuary jobs.  The enlisted folks do things like dressing the body and ensuring all the ribbons, etc. are correct, etc.

Have you considered Federal Civil Service?  They're in all the Services working right alongside military folks, even overseas, the only difference is they don't wear uniforms or carry weapons.  You can't beat a steady government paycheck.  It may be worth your while to check into it at: http://www.usajobs.gov/

It takes a lot of dedication to do the things you do.  Most people only see the body in the funeral home, and never realize what all goes on behind the scenes.

Best of luck in whatever you choose, and thanks for wanting to serve your country in uniform.
Colonel H