DENVER — A Vietnam Veterans Organization in Colorado has a motto: “Never again will one generation of Veterans abandon another”.
That’s why when the unclaimed, cremated remains of 27 Veterans were found at mortuaries around the state, they were identified and interred at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver – with full military honors.
Twenty seven people once lost, are now found.
It was a beautiful spring day at Fort Logan, the trees were budding, and the grass was turning green. Under clear blue skies, a hearse with a military motorcycle escort arrived with 27 wooden urns.
Bill Bridges, who directs the Honor Burial Program for Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1071, says it’s not clear why the remains of these Veterans were lost for so long.
“They were businesspeople in the local community," Bridges said. "They were professors at the University level. Why would they ever be forgotten? We’ll never know the answer to that.”
The Veterans group figured out the identity of the unclaimed remains, with the help of University of Denver Professor Carol Helstosky and the students in her history class.
They tracked down the stories of the previously unknown Veterans and put faces to the names. They found men who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Some died in peacetime after serving in various military branches.
One was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked in 1941.
Now they are resting in handmade wooden urns, that were handcrafted with love and appreciation. Members of the Colorado Woodworkers Guild volunteered to make the new urns.
According to Bill Bridges, “It just didn’t feel right putting a veteran into a burial location in an old plastic box, that they’ve been sitting in for 40 years.”
The boxes were made from oak, poplar, or walnut. All donated.
They were handcrafted with the military branch of the Veteran laser engraved on the top.
At the burial service at Fort Logan, the stories of the forgotten soldiers were remembered and shared. Their names were spoken, followed by the ring of the honor bell, and a 21-gun salute. It was the final roll call, each person finally accounted for.
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