Press Release
Redding, CA, April 24, 2013: 6:30AM Honors at Arlington –Part II
Arlington National Cemetery We are dedicating our ninth columbarium court on May 9, 2013 by conducting a joint full honors committal service for six unclaimed remains of veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces. We partnered with the Missing in America Project to identify the six unclaimed remains, who will be the first inurnments in the ninth columbarium court. MIAP is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that locates, identifies and inters the unclaimed cremated remains of American veterans. The committal service will start at 9 a.m. Please join us in honoring these forgotten heroes!
YREKA USMC VETERAN TO ARLINGTON CEMETERY:
Albert Edwin Klatt, born Memorial Day, May 30th, 1921 in Michigan. He joined the Marine Corps in December 1942. He went through boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, graduating in February 1943. After further training at Camp Pendleton he joined up with the Marine 1st division in Australia to further train. He participated in the battles of New Guinea, Peleliu and Okinawa. He served until December 1945. After his service he settled in California to raise a family. He worked as a City Transit bus driver, crane operator, and owned a fishing charter boat. He passed away on 1/28/1999.
MIAP Escort Details:
Stage: 0830 hours at 3462B Bechelli Lane, Thursday, April 25, 2013
Brief: 0845 hours
KSU: 0900 hours on the first leg of the journey to Reno, NV
MIAP escort riders will continue to Wendover, NV for the night and to meet up with the Elko, POW/MIA organization for a further escort the next day to Salt Lake City, UT to meet up with the MIAP National Road Captain Roger Graves and Utah POW/MIA groups. The next days will be all on I-80 and turnover of PFC Klatt to other MIAP Escort Riders to carry him to Indiana to meet up with American Legion Riders who will take PFC Klatt with two Civil War brothers to Arlington for internment at Arlington Cemetery on May 9, 2013 at 9am.
Posts Tagged ‘veterans’
Yreka, CA Veteran to be interred at Arlington- May 9, 2013
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013MIAP to inter veterans at Arlington Dedication/Service for new Columbarium
Saturday, April 6th, 2013MIAP received communication yesterday from Arlington Cemetery management that the first service would be dedicated on May 9, 2013 after the Opening Ceremony.
They wish to have MIAP located and verified veterans to be the first interned in the new wall.
With great honor and pride, MIAP accepted that offer and we are now selecting veterans from each branch of service to present to Arlington Cemetery for this opening ceremony.
Again, thanks to all MIAP supporters and volunteers, we have made an impact to the national conscience about Unclaimed, Homeless, Forgotten veterans.
MIAP is their national voice recognized by the Dept of Veterans Affairs and now the Department of Defense.
We will also be looking to MIAP BOD or National Officers who are close to Arlington who would be available to attend.
St. Louis Unclaimed Veterans to Receive Military Funeral
Wednesday, October 10th, 2012Press Release St Louis 10 25 12
St. Louis Unclaimed Veterans to Receive Military Funeral
ST. LOUIS (October 15, 2012) – Four veterans whose remains have been unclaimed, will be laid to rest with help from the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery providers and the Missing in America Project.
The following four veterans will be escorted from the Hoffmeister South County Chapel, 1515 Lemay Ferry Road in St. Louis, led by Brian Keller American Legion Riders, Post 347 in St. Louis to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, 2900 Sheridan Road in St. Louis where full military honors will be conducted starting at 1 p.m., Thursday, October 25.
Col. Edward W. Bilhorn (1918-1973) served as an Engineer in the U.S. Army Reserve Corps from 1941 until 1973 in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Col. Bilhorn was the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal as well as the European African Middle Eastern Theatre Campaign Ribbon with 5 Bronze Stars.
Cpl. Carl Axel Richard Kjellstrom (1894-1971) served in the U.S. Army from 1917 until 1919 during World War I.
PFC Eugene Thiebes (1916-1986) served in the U.S. Army from 1945 until 1947 during World War II.
Aviation Cadet William N. Watkins (1925-1984) served in the U.S. Air Force from 1943 until 1944 during World War II.
The ceremony will feature guest speaker Ed Martin, candidate for Missouri Attorney General and volunteer for the Missing in America Project for nearly five years. Military honors, including the folding and presentation of the flags, the playing of taps and a rifle volley, will be provided by Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Niece of Eugene Thiebes will attend and receive the folded American Flag.
“The Missing in America Project has been working with Dignity Memorial providers to identify these forgotten veterans and ensure they receive the honors in death that their service in life
merited,” said Mark Valenta, St. Louis area director for the Dignity Memorial network. “We’re honored to work with the Missing in America Project to provide the dignified military burial these veterans deserve.”
The purpose of the Missing in America Project is to locate, identify and inter the unclaimed cremated remains of American veterans through the joint efforts of private, state and federal organizations and to provide honor and respect to those who have served this country by securing a final resting place for these forgotten heroes. For more information, contact Linda Smith, National Vice President at sailormom@miap.us. For more information on the Dignity Memorial network visit www.DignityMemorial.com.
The Dignity Memorial network of providers has several initiatives to honor and support our nation’s veterans and active military. The initiatives and programs include the Veterans Planning Guide, the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program, educational veterans seminars and special pricing for members of veterans service organizations.
The Dignity Memorial network of more than 1,800 funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers is North America’s most trusted resource for funeral and memorialization services. Dignity Memorial providers offer an unmatched combination of products and locations serving families with care, integrity, respect and service excellence. For more information, visit www.DignityMemorial.com.
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Daughter of unclaimed Ohio veteran steps forward
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The daughter of an Air Force veteran whose cremated remains lay unclaimed for years alongside those of about a dozen other servicemen at a funeral home said she finds closure in knowing several groups want a burial including full military honors for him.
Julie Dickerson, the daughter of Staff Sgt. Russell Andrews Jr., said her family recognized his name during a news telecast about a military burial being prepared for the unclaimed remains of 10 Ohio veterans.
“I was surprised and kind of shocked,” she said. “But in a good way.”
Dickerson said she plans to attend the May 22 burial at Dayton National Cemetery. The burial is being coordinated by the Missing in America Project, a national group that seeks unclaimed veterans’ remains so they can be laid to rest with full military honors.
The remains of 12 veterans were discovered, but the families of two veterans declined the burial.
Dickerson, a 46-year-old from Columbus, said she finds closure in the Missing in America Project’s efforts to bury her father’s remains.
“Closure really is the word to best describe the experience,” she said. “To see he has an appropriate memorial service.”
Dickerson, who said she and her two siblings were not in daily contact with their father when he died in 1991 of heart failure, did not know his remains were on a basement shelf of a Columbus funeral home for more than 20 years. She said they were notified of his death only months later and assumed there was nothing left for them to do.
The Missing in America Project’s Ohio coordinator, Chastity Booth, said she was surprised when she spoke to Dickerson on Tuesday. Booth said in an earlier interview it was unlikely any relatives would step forward before the burial because the story of the unclaimed veterans had received extensive media exposure since they were identified in November.
“We’re thrilled,” Booth said. “And for children to step forward? We totally didn’t expect this. My day has been made.”
Booth, a 33-year-old stay-at-home mother, discovered the veterans’ remains at the Cook & Son-Pallay Funeral Home in Columbus. She and a handful of other volunteers had tried to find the veterans’ next of kin by advertising in the local newspaper and searching online databases. She said the group knew the veterans’ names, service dates and whether they earned any awards.
Before Dickerson stepped forward on Tuesday, no family from the 10 remaining veterans had contacted them.
The Missing in America Project is coordinating the burial with representatives from the American Legion’s 12th Council. Hundreds of people are expected to attend the two-hour service, which will include a 21-gun salute and military-issued grave markers for each veteran.
Members of the American Legion Riders will lead an early morning procession from the funeral home in Columbus to the cemetery in Dayton, 75 miles west.
Booth said there are financial and personal reasons why families don’t claim remains, including families losing contact or no living family members remaining.
Missing in America Project vice president Linda Smith said funeral home directors often hold onto the remains because they don’t want them scattered or buried in potter’s fields, burial plots for unknown or low-income people.
“They don’t feel that’s what should happen to them,” she said. “So they hold on to them. And that’s good for us. It’s good for the veterans. Because they give us the opportunity to go in, find them, identify them and give them a full military honors funeral.”
Smith said the group has found almost 2,000 unclaimed veterans’ remains in funeral homes around the country since its start in 2006 and has been able to bury most of them.
Cook & Son-Pallay Funeral Home director Dan Pallay said that before a 1999 state law placed guidelines on how funeral homes bury unclaimed cremated remains, many kept them in their basements.
“Every funeral home that I’ve heard of has a few unclaimed ashes,” he said. “We were happy to inventory the ashes that were still here with us and see whether any were veterans.”
Smith said the Missing in America Project works with funeral homes to send letters to unclaimed veterans’ next of kin explaining their efforts to bury the remains and waits 30 days before moving forward with burial plans. She said the burial is a free service at any national or state cemetery if the veteran was honorably discharged from the military.
Federal legislation to ease communication between funeral homes and groups like the Missing in America Project was introduced last year, but determining whether cremated remains belong to a veteran still can take months, and Booth said she needs more volunteers to speed up the process.
“I’ve seen firsthand what kind of sacrifices these men and women make for their country,” she said. “They made that kind of sacrifice for us. It’s the least we could do, in terms of making sure we find those that were lost or forgotten.”
MIAP Step by Step Instructions for Volunteers
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012MIAP Step by Step Instructions
Step by step instructions for each new or older volunteers. Please read over and if you have any questions, contact Linda Smith at sailormom@miap.us.
1. Make an appointment with the funeral home director.
2. Sign release/liability form and give to funeral director, explain MIAP ie, we are insured, all info is kept strictly confidential etc.
3. Funeral home decides how and the date the inventory is to take place. Inventory cremains. NOTE: any cremains awaiting death of spouse, may be inventoried but not included in burial. If the funeral home wishes to do the inventory themselves, just let them know that you need the date of birth, date of death and social security number if available. Ask that they put the inventory on a spreadsheet for easier handling.
4. Pull only the records of the cremains inventoried. NOTE: If you find a DD-214 or military discharge certificate, scan or copy and keep as this is an official verification. Do not send to NCSEO. SEE #8
5. Either enter information into the secure database on a laptop at funeral home or fill out the cremains sheet to enter into database later. Once info is in database, all hardcopies are destroyed.
6. If you have the full name, date of birth, date of death and social security number fill out the National Cemetery Scheduling Office verification form (on line) on each cremain. Only name of cremain goes in the subject line. E-mail to eligibility.miap@va.gov. Change cremains category to “Awaiting Verification”.
7. When all verifications are returned from National Cemetery Scheduling Office, take or e-mail to funeral home so they may pull the cremains of the veterans verified. A registered letter must be sent to the last known legal next of kin of each veteran either by the funeral home or MIAP if funeral home provides the name and address. If no next of kin, a notice in the local newspaper is done. At least a 30 day wait is required unless otherwise instructed by state law.
8. The DD-214 is to be e-mailed to nca.scheduling@va.gov along with any other St. Louis verifications on the day or day before you call to schedule the funeral. The number to call is 1 800-535-1117. Check with the funeral home first for a date good for them.
9. Once date is scheduled, go into database and change cremain category to “mission scheduled”.
10. Let the cemetery know that all headstones are to have “YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN” on them.
11. Let cemetery know that you will need pall barriers, honor guard and if you don’t have an MIAP chaplain, have the cemetery provide one. In a few cases, the cemetery may not have access to honor guards etc. In a case like that, contact your American Legion. Most will able to provide what you need for a full military honors funeral. NOTE: Military will not provide pall barriers or flags for eligible wives or children. You will need to provide volunteers to carry them.
12. If the funeral home agrees, you may invite media.
13. You may invite other organizations to stand flag line, or to honor the veterans.
14. Once burial is complete, go into database and change the veteran’s category to Mission Complete annotating section and site number for each veteran.
15. Send Linda Smith sailormom@miap.us an after-action report.
GENEALOGISTS STEP BY STEP.
1. Choose a name in the database under either “No Action” or “Needs more Research”. Change the category of that name to “Genealogy Search”. Genealogy Search means someone is working on that name so no one else will bother it.
2. Begin your genealogy search. Once you have finished your research and if you have at least the date of birth, date of death, social security number or service number, change category to “Ready for Verification at NCSEO”.
3. Notify the State Coordinator or person who entered the name (found in database under “entered by”). Their e-mail address is on the website under “Contact us”. The State Coordinator or person who entered the name will send verification request to NCSEO and change category to “Awaiting Verification”
4. If you cannot find information on your name, change the category back to “Needs more Research”.
5. You are now done with that name and may begin with another name.
6. GENEALOGISTS DO NOT TRY TO LOCATE NEXT OF KIN. THE LEGAL NEXT OF KIN WILL BE ON THE DEATH CERTIFICATE IN THE FUNERAL HOME AND WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF BY THEM. Genealogist’s job is to find enough information on the person they are working on to obtain veterans’ status from NCSEO which is date of birth, date of death, social security number, service number or any military information.
7. Genealogists, volunteers or State Coordinators that do anything in another state other than their own must notify that state’s State Coordinator. If no State Coordinator is listed or a reply is not forthcoming, contact Linda Smith at sailormom@miap.us
NYC Memorial Service – Jan 9, 2012
Sunday, January 15th, 2012It was a beautiful winter day when the Funeral procession Turned into Calverton Cemetery .
The Patriot Guard and Legion Riders were standing a flag Line at the entrance to the
cemetery . The escort of ten rolled into the parking lot followed by a Gold and Black hearse’s
Several Legion members from Long were on hand as well as retired members of the New York
Fire Department . One retired firefighter was from Ladder 101 of Red Hook , Brooklyn , NY.
On Sept , 11 , 2001 , Ladder 101 lost it’s entire company at the World Trade Center . Also
in attendance were the Suffolk County American Legion commanders , as well as Post 1244
Commander . There were two sets of Honor Guards , one from the Army and the other from
the Air Force . The entire service was video by the Verizon Corporation , with interviews of
Dignity Memorial , American Legion Commander , and the Missing in America Project
representative . The two Flags were given to deserving individuals from Dignity Memorial
and the Patriot Guard Riders .
When I get the video will forward to you .
The Data system has been updated
as of this internment .
John
MIAP ARTICLES
Monday, November 14th, 2011Missing In America Project – MIAP Arizona – YouTube
Missing In America Project – MIAP Arizona. newHomesTucson … Missing In America Project Gives Soldiers Prope…by KXLY49 views …
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcQa6O7i6Cg
Unclaimed Tehama County veterans get represented – Red Bluff …
Rick Proietti of the Missing in America Project was approved as the designee for … The Missing in America Project is a non-profit organization that recovers the …
www.redbluffdailynews.com/news/ci_19264186
MIAP Night Escort for Afghan Casualty
Monday, November 14th, 2011The Right Thing To Do
The first night time MIAP ESCORT .
We meet at the South Merlin rest area and escorted the family and the hearse to the funeral home on Williams Hwy.
KSU was 10;30 pm Temp. was in the mid to low 30s allot warmer than we expected.
There were at the start 3 county patrol cars and another joined as we arrived to the south of Grants Pass.
Was a GREAT ESCORT.
LOOKED REAL GOOD ON THE FREEWAY AND THROUGH TOWN.
Veterans Recovery Program
So. Oregon Ride Capt.
Dave “DFWD” Pearson
proof114@charter.net
Cell: (541) 660-1327
The Right Thing To Do
New Mexico Memorial Service update
Friday, October 14th, 2011All
New Mexico will have a funeral service for 12 veterans on 1 Nov at 1330 at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. These heroes came from the Beradinelli Funeral Home in Santa Fe.
New Mexico Govenor Susana Martinez will be the key note speaker. Cabnet Secretary for NMDVA will also speak. Other dignitaries will be present as well.
This funeral includes one veteran that was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Legion of Merit and Silver Star. Another veteran was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Linda Smith
National Operations/BOD
Missing in America Project
American Legion and Rider Post 331
573-528-6930
Utah After Action Report
Monday, August 22nd, 2011Monday August 15, 2011 – “Utah Mission Complete”
Roger Graves, UT State Coordinator
This past April, the UT MIAP volunteers got an invite to attend the UT Funeral Directors Annual Convention. Out of that invite we received several invitations to inventory what was on the unclaimed lists of several mortuaries. Deseret Mortuary told us they had a full house and were going to plan a burial soon so we jumped on that inventory first. We found 107 cremated remains. After months of research by Roberta McGuinn, genealogist, we had 18 verified veterans. Two of the veterans were picked up by friends so that left us with 16 for our first MIAP service here in the Beehive State. After our initial press release a family member came forward that had no idea his brother was deceased. Randy Hester, his mother, and 3 other relatives were able to attend our service. The Navy Honor Guard presented Randy with his brother, Robert Hester’s, flag. He was so moved that he announced during his television interview that he and his wife were signing up as UT MIAP volunteers. Relatives of two other veterans were located out of State and could not attend the service; we are working on a mission to present the flags from their deceased loved ones to the Next of Kin we located in Georgia and Florida. The entire service went off flawlessly in my eyes and I can’t thank the MIAP escort riders from CA and OR enough for their support! I also extend thanks to the Greater Salt Lake Police Department who escorted us to the Cemetery including 20 miles down the I-15 freeway, the UT National Guard Honor Guard, the PGR Riders, the POW/MIA Riders and the Rocky Mountain Green Knights from Hill Air Force Base (80 motorcycles in all) along with numerous US government and UT government officials, UT Veterans Affairs officials and all others who came to show their honor and respect for these 16 veterans.
