Answering The Call ... From CBRN, The Old Guard To Law
by U.S. Army Jane Lee
The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School
October 15, 2024

“It was a very humbling experience to honor veterans who had passed away,” said Cpt. Jacob Van Horn. “There is no other unit in the Army that does what The Old Guard does. We are often the last interaction a Soldier’s family has with the United States [military].”

Van Horn, 225th Officer Basic Course (OBC) student at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS), has conducted 43 full military honors funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. “As an officer in charge of a funeral you direct the hearse to the grave site, march behind the casket team as they carry the casket to the grave and stand right next to the casket as grave site services are rendered,” explained Van Horn. “Most importantly, there is a flag that is draped over each service member’s casket. Once this flag is folded by the casket team into the classic triangle fold, the officer in charge then takes the flag and gives condolences to the spouse or representative family member.

“You get down on one knee and hand the flag to the seated family member. You tell them ‘On behalf of the president of the United States, the United States Army and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service.’ You then salute the flag holding spouse, render a final salute to the Soldier’s casket, and depart the gravesite.”

Van Horn said overseeing the wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier coupled with his solemn duties during military funerals easily made his second duty station of Ft. Myer his most rewarding assignment so far.

“The funeral I remember the most was a veteran who died about ten years after retiring," recalled Van Horn. “This specific funeral stays in my mind because it was a young spouse with children. The condolences I gave were the hardest I’ve ever given because she had her kids in her arms and was crying and mourning the loss of her husband.

“You also cannot, under any circumstances, allow yourself to show any emotion or break military bearing. I wanted to make sure the family’s last interaction with the Army was as professional as possible with no mistakes.”

Van Horn started his career as a CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) officer at Ft. Campbell. “My grandfather and great-grandfather were career enlisted members of the United States Army,” said the 2017 graduate of The Citadel. “I joined partly because of my grandfather’s influence growing up and because I felt the call to serve.”

“The most challenging aspect of being a CBRN officer was learning to operate as a member of a team of infantry officers who made the battalion’s training plan,” said Van Horn. “I was the only non-infantry branch member of the operations section. Standards and expectations were high.”

Van Horn met and exceeded those high expectations. High enough to place 5th in the Army’s Best CBRN Competition in 2018, in a physically demanding field of 27 teams. “The four-day competition consisted of a PT test, basic Soldier tasks, rucking about 30 miles across Ft. Leonard Wood and conducting tactical and technical CBRN tasks.”

Even though law was always at the back of his mind, Van Horn almost didn’t become a judge advocate. “As a kid, my neighbor, family friend, and father figure was a lawyer. So law school had always been on my radar, even if it had taken a backseat to joining the military,” said Van Horn. “I didn’t start to consider going to law school until I learned of the Army’s Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP). An officer in the year group ahead of me at The Old Guard had been accepted and he helped me apply.

“While I enjoyed my time as a CBRN officer, I was ready to take the next step in my Army career using the lessons learned and knowledge gained. My time spent [with The Old Guard and as a CBRN] officer has prepared me to become a [better] Army lawyer. I have an understanding of how the Army works and the systems we use. Now it’s just a matter of applying my legal knowledge.”

After he graduates OBC in December, the University of North Carolina School of Law alum will pcs to Camp Humphreys. “I will be starting out in Administrative Law at 8th Army. I hope to transition into [National Security] Law at some point in my career, but am also excited to dive into Military Justice,” said Van Horn. “I’ve never been to Asia. I am very excited to go abroad. I think the opportunities overseas are going to be incredibly unique.”

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