Often, when a veteran dies, they’re honored and remembered by family and friends in dignified and loving ceremonies.
Yet that’s not always the case. Some veterans never married or had children. Others outlived spouses, siblings, and friends. Some lost contact with relatives, moved frequently, or lived alone for a long time. And for these and other reasons, when they die, their remains might go unclaimed.
The US Veterans Affairs Department (VA) and private organizations, in particular the Missing in America Project (MIAP), are working to help locate unclaimed remains of veterans, verify their military service, and ensure they receive a dignified burial or other interment.
You or someone you know can also volunteer for these efforts:
- To help locally: find your nearby VA national cemetery and call to ask for the volunteer coordinator or administration office. They can tell you about upcoming public services or formal volunteer roles.
- To help nationally: complete the volunteer and supporter form on MIAP’s website to join their mission of honoring forgotten heroes.
Throughout the year at Sacramento Valley National Cemetary in Dixon, California, MIAP volunteers, the public, and veterans give proper and dignified burials to veterans who in death may have been forgotten about or had their bodies go unclaimed.”
(Video by Miguel Cano of ABC10 News in Sacramento in 2019.)