The United States goes to extraordinary lengths to honor their dead that have served their fellow countrymen by their service in our armed forces in wars, as well as police officers that have died in the line of duty within the States. These occasions, may involved and often involve, a lengthy funeral procession, governmental escorts, burial in hallowed ground, and speeches of great import, along with the attendance by important personages. These funerals are treated as a big deal, and the amount of honor that is accorded to those police officers and soldiers that have departed from this world, is exceptional.
The pomp and ceremony, along with the tradition, that are part and parcel of military service is there for specific reasons, of which, one of the most significant reasons, is that soldering has historically been in civilization after civilization, a way for those in the lesser classes, or those not even considered to be citizens of their state, to take up arms on behalf of the country that they reside in, not so much for the sense of a honor or a sense of duty, but in the sense of opportunity and in earlier times in the sense of booty so available for victorious soldiers.
So too, these soldiers, that were successful in the field, could indeed pick up the spoils of moving up the ranks within their service as well as earning additional perks and privileges, of which, one of them could be to become an official citizen with rights within their country. Additionally, because such a high percentage of the men historically serving in the armed forces were poor as well as being illiterate, with little or no opportunity of economic advancement, being a soldier was one of the few paths readily available for them. Then too, because being a warring soldier was such a dangerous profession for those with their boots really on the ground and doing the actually fighting, most countries made it a firm policy to honor those soldiers so fallen, so at least, the families of the soldiers that had died in their service to their country, could take solace in knowing that their kin were held in high esteem by the state as honorable men.
Today's police officers, from the perspective of honor, are best seen, as domestic soldiers, and though police officers are fairly well compensated with good benefits, they do put their lives on the line, when they go out onto the public streets of America, of which, some of those streets are not ever traveled by good and decent citizens, so that police officers see things and perform work, that above all, simply put, keeps the barbarians far from the gate, and for that, they are honored for having done so.
The honor that is shown to today's police officers and soldiers, is done deliberately by the state, so as to encourage those participating in such, to continue to do so, for these dedicated public servants, are ideally serving and protecting all the citizens of the state, from enemies, foreign and domestic, of which, for having done so, the state has made it abundantly clear, that for those that have fallen, though their lives may be gone, that their honor for having done so is not, and is thereby given as a public tribute for them and their dedicated service.