Wake (military)
A wake is understood to mean the placing of honorary posts on both sides of a dead body or a coffin. The rank and position of the deceased influence the number and rank of soldiers used as wake. This form of military honor is symbolic of a bond with the deceased that goes beyond death as well as special recognition of the deceased's achievements by the state or recognition of the circumstances of his death.
Military wake in Germany
In Germany , wakes are always placed as part of a funeral with military honors or a state funeral . The soldiers on the wake should have the same rank as the deceased. If this is not possible, they should be taken from the same rank group . For high-ranking civil deceased who are to be honored with a state ceremony, generals are usually elected as wake. The wake wears a large service suit (service suit with helmet, belt and boots) with a white shirt, officers put on the lanyard . Medals and awards are not worn as a ribbon buckle on this occasion , but as a large medal buckle .
The wake pulls up at least one meter away from the coffin before the mourning community enters the mourning room (usually church or cathedral, exceptionally also the Reichstag or similar) and takes up the position of attention. As a rule, the wake is changed at least once during the funeral service, and more often for longer funeral services. When at the end of the funeral the pallbearers have picked up the coffin and lead the funeral conduit with the coffin behind the pillow bearer, the wake accompanies the coffin to the hearse, from where it steps away informally. As with all elements of the military ceremonies at funeral ceremonies, a wake can be waived in Germany at the request of relatives.
Military wakes in other countries
In contrast to soldiers in the Bundeswehr, soldiers from other countries usually carry a weapon when serving as a wake. Depending on the country and military tradition, this is held in a wide variety of ways, for example in the USA wakes rely on their weapon resting on the ground, while in other countries the weapons are also shouldered. The posture of the head and body of the honorary posts can also vary considerably (e.g. wakes in Great Britain lower their heads), and it is also quite common to remove headgear .