Veteran services at McLaughlin Mortuary
McLaughlin Mortuary is a funeral home in Fort Walton Beach, FL that accepts veteran families and provides military funeral honors coordination through the Department of Defense honors program.
The nearest VA national cemetery is Barrancas National Cemetery in FL, approximately 39 miles from McLaughlin Mortuary. McLaughlin Mortuary can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.
McLaughlin Mortuary holds a 4.8-star rating from 49 Google reviews, indicating consistent service quality reported by families who have used the home for veteran and non-veteran services alike.
What families have said
Recent reviews from families who used McLaughlin Mortuary. Reviews are sourced from Google Places and shown verbatim — we do not edit or filter for sentiment.
“Our family used McLaughlin Mortuary's services and I was so impressed with their service and personal touch. Their staff routinely contacted us just to see if there was anything they could do to assist in our time of grief. I cannot recommend McLaughlin enough.”
“I had an amazing experience in trying to assist a local (elderly) community member with arrangements for her son in another state. Pam went above and beyond to assist and even followed up a few days later. Thank you sincerely for you wonderful customer service and representation of Mclaughlin Mortuary. I also would like to recognize the owner or manager that I spoke with who was extremely helpful and pleasant as well. Thank you both so very much!”
“It was a very calming experience dealing with Dwight, the director and Caitin plus the others I spoke with on the phone. In this kind of situation where there’s a devastating loss and no knowledge of how you will be able to deal with the decisions you’re about to face. It was very comforting to face this sad reality and having someone like Dwight heading this up and explaining to me all the things that will be happening in the next couple of weeks. And what role they would play in it all. Everything he explained was how things all came together, my burden was lightened & a peace was gifted to me through the knowledge and care from this team of talented individuals in this difficult field.”
“McLaughlin Mortuary has a wonderful staff. Everyone was kind, caring and compassionate and they went above and beyond to meet the family’s needs. Losing a loved one is difficult but McLaughlin’s staff made everything happen seamlessly and very quickly.”
“After my mom passed away on August 25, we called McLaughlin funeral home concerning her body being removed from the hospital and cremated. They were very professional, courteous and helpful in everything that transpired the day after her passing. They kept in contact with me during the 2 1/2 weeks to get the death certificates. I would highly recommend using McLaughlin funeral home for any of your funeral needs.”
EverSettled · After the Veteran Funeral
The veteran's spouse may qualify for VA Dependency & Indemnity Compensation.
DIC is a tax-free monthly benefit for surviving spouses, dependent children, and (in some cases) parents of veterans whose death is service-connected. EverSettled walks veteran families through DIC eligibility, survivor pension, life-insurance claims, probate, and the federal-account paperwork that follows.
Begin Veteran Estate SettlementHow honors are coordinated
Military funeral honors are guaranteed at no cost for any veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. The funeral home arranges the honors detail by contacting the deceased's last unit or the nearest active-duty installation of the appropriate branch and submitting the DD-214 to verify eligibility.
For requests less than 72 hours from service time, families can call the Department of Defense's expedited honors line at 1-877-MIL-HONR (1-877-645-4667). See the full honors protocol.