For the final arrangements a funeral service was arranged, with the casket leaving the Military Academy grounds in Fort Tiuna on 17 March 2013 under full military honours including references to Ltn. Cnl. Chávez's home battalion (the Apure Braves 414th Armored Battalion) with the marching song "Patria Querida" (Fatherland Beloved) played in slow time, a 21-gun salute, and a Military Aviation (formerly Venezuelan Air Force) flyover by Sukhoi Su-30 fighters in a missing man formation. Government party militias in their light motorcycles followed the motorcade (itself surrounded by Army mounted guards) with a large following of (mostly poor) citizens, with final arrival honors paid upon arrival at the Mountain Barracks. Bolivian President Evo Morales, President Maduro (then interim) and Chávez's brother Adan and daughter Maria Gabiela each gave speeches before the flag folding and dedication ceremony. The national flag covering the casket was handed to Elena Frías de Chávez, the late President's mother, on behalf of the armed forces and the nation.
