In years past it used to be that people had limited choices as to how they could memorialize a loved one, especially a veteran. With respect to cremation urns, we as consumers had few unique options available to us that would more closely identify with the person being memorialized. With the Model “T” we could get any color we wanted, as long as it was black. Likewise, with cremation urns we had the standard fare of vase urns and some cubic urns, but they were more non-descript in their presentation. In the era of the Internet, however, that is no longer the case.
With the advent of the Internet and e-commerce opportunities for the smart shopper comes an expanded playing field of vendors, thereby increasing competition. As we all know, increased competition typically results in reduced prices while providing more purchasing options as vendors begin to specialize and service specific market niches. When vendors expand their product lines, the availability of cremation urns that are designed for specific tastes and applications also increases. The focus here is on one of these niches: cremation urns for military personnel.
Today, for military personnel there are a multitude of cremation urns available that range in size, style and finish. Significantly, there are cremation urn options available for veterans of all branches of the military, including Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. And specialization doesn’t end with just an urn for each branch. Consumers can now find military urns that are geared not only for a specific branch of the armed forces, but specialties within that branch. For instance, with respect to cremation urns for Navy personnel, consumers can also find urns that are specifically made for veterans who served in submarine operations or urns that highlight the core values of the Navy. These operation-specific or specialty military urns are most commonly available in the cubic urn style, designating the specialty with an applied representative appliqué. Cubic urns are commonly available in numerous colors and finishes to further personalize your memorial.
Customizing your memorial urn by selecting a specific urn style or appliqué that represents the branch of the armed forces for which a veteran was affiliated is just one way of adding a special touch. You can also tailor your veteran’s memorial further by engraving. The savvy consumer will take advantage of the free engraving or nameplate engraving that some cremation urn suppliers offer with their military urn collections. For those who wish to purchase a military cremation urn on a pre-need basis, you can simply inscribe the urn with the veteran’s name, their highest rank achieved, and even their dates of service.
Ordering online gives the consumer certain advantages that they can’t otherwise attain. Of course, their selection is much greater and with far more options to customize their soldier’s memorial available to them than they could otherwise find. For reasons which include lower overhead and volume purchasing, online vendors can oftentimes offer the consumer lower prices on equivalent products that they could find by conventional means. In some instances suppliers will even offer free ground shipping to further reduce your out-of-pocket cost.
As any spouse or family member of a veteran knows, a veteran’s time serving their country in the military holds special meaning to them, no matter how long ago they may have served. The experiences of that time in their lives is always with veterans, and more often than not they closely identify themselves with their service. Honoring your veteran with a personalized military urn, which commemorates both them and their time in the service, is a fitting tribute to your loved one and that which they held dear.