((a)) At the request of the President the Secretary may conduct a program for honoring the memory of deceased persons eligible for burial in a national cemetery by reason of any of paragraphs (1), (2), (3), or (7) of , by preparing and sending to eligible recipients a certificate bearing the signature of the President and expressing the country’s grateful recognition of the deceased individual’s service in the Armed Forces. The award of a certificate to one eligible recipient will not preclude authorization of another certificate if a request is received from some other eligible recipient.

((b)) For the purpose of this section an “eligible recipient” means the next of kin, a relative or friend upon request, or an authorized service representative acting on behalf of such relative or friend.

((c)) A certificate may not be furnished under the program under subsection (a) on behalf of a deceased person described in .