Posted on 04/19/2012 3:14:42 PM PDT by SandRat
Another group of unclaimed veterans’ remains will be placed in a columbaria at the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery during a 1 p.m. ceremony Friday.
It will the third placing of unclaimed remains, some whom were homeless or indigent veterans, headed by the Missing In America Project.
Bob Day, the Arizona M.I.A.P. state coordinator said, “Similar to no man left behind in battle, we believe no veteran should be forgotten and that each deserves to be laid to rest with honor to acknowledge his or her contributions to our freedom.” The Friday event will begin in Tucson where the cremains will be taken from the Adair Funeral Home put into a hearse and driven to the state-operated cemetery in Sierra Vista, with the arrival planned for around 12:30 p.m.
Those being honored, include a wife, who will be placed into a columbaria niche at the same time as her World War II veteran husband.
Francesca Kelley died on Feb. 14 and her husband, Frederick, died on April 30, 2006. He served as an Army private first class.
Other veterans who will be honored soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who served during the Korean War, Vietnam War and Cold War eras.
Area veterans and others are requested to attend the event to honor those who served the nation in the past.
Cemetery Administrator Joe Larson said all he remains have been confirmed as people who served honorably.
The reason the cemetery is being used, as it was twice before when 35 sets of remains were placed in niches, is because it is the most appropriate place, he said.
“We are the closest veterans cemetery, it’s only right to bring them down here to be with their fellow veterans,” Larson said.
I was unaware of this organization, or this cause. Thank you for posting this.
If you get out this way the Veteran's Memorial Cemetery is well maintained and worth seeing, as it has a special cemetery within the cemetery, containing the recovered remains of 58 forgotten Civil War and Indian War Veterans.
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