Line of Duty ... or Not Line of Duty?

摘要

Dear Nozzlehead: I'm an officer, and one of our newer members recently passed away. The member, who died in his sleep at home, had a serious alcohol/ substance abuse problem. Naturally, it has been a very somber atmosphere at the department.I know that any fire department has the right to mourn in any way it sees fit. But our department decided to have a full firefighter's funeral-honor guard, bagpipes and casket on the apparatus. Am I wrong for believing that this is not appropriate? And it's not the substance abuse issue or how he may have died that makes me feel this way-it's the fact that I thought this type of honor was reserved for those firefighters who dedicated their lives to the service (such as 20 or more years) or those who lost their lives in the line of duty.