Posted on 09/14/2011 3:55:51 PM PDT by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA — The carillon pealed 11 times at the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery Tuesday.
Once the echoes of the bells chiming the time of day faded, a voice yelled out, “Detail Attention,” followed by, “Present Arms.”
It was the start of a ceremony to honor veterans whose remains had not been claimed, either because they were homeless or indigent when death took them.
Soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen carried the urns holding the cremains of 18, who were honored before being taken to a columbarium in the cemetery to be placed in individual niches.
They were to finally rest among other veterans.
Tuesday committal was the second at the cemetery, the first happening on April 25, when 19 sets of remains — one of which was a wife of a veteran — were honored.
The military members carried the urns through a cordon of American flags passing by saluting veterans and others who put their left hands over their hearts at the event attended by nearly 150 people.
The trip to Sierra Vista started earlier Tuesday morning in Tucson where all the cremains had been placed in an Adair Funeral Home hearse, which was escorted by a number of veterans riding motorcycles.
Bob Day, who is the coordinator for Arizona’s Missing in America Project, a veterans recovery program, said as he looked out at the audience he saw people of different lifestyles, but all of whom had come to the ceremony to help remember veterans who had become unknown within America.
All those who honored the dead on Tuesday have one thing in common, Day said.
“All are patriots,” he said.
Although the deceased may have been indigent or homeless, they still were veterans who were worthy of a dignified military funeral, Day said.
Each of their names were read, and Sierra Vistan Derek Stalling of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club of Arizona, rang a brass bell as each name was called.
Day noted since the veterans being laid to rest had no family members present, a number of American flags were unfolded and folded again to be presented to representatives from different organizations who were, in effect, surrogate families.
Soldiers and veterans made up a firing party and they fired a 21-rifle salute, followed by a lone bugler sounding “Taps.”
Then the military escorts retrieved the urns and walked off to the columbarium and handed the cremains over to members of the cemetery staff, who placed each one in an individual niche and when all were placed, a stone covering was placed over each niche.
As the final part of the ceremony was being done, the carillon once again pealed 12 times, for it was noon.
Soon after the sounds of a bagpipe came from the carillon, as each of the service songs were played.
Final rest had come to the 18, some of whom served during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War.
Thank you for posting this.
Heartbreaking.
We remember.
Leave no man behind.
God Bless them for their service and may they Rest In Peace.
Here rests in honored glory...
Thanks for the post!
cremains = cremnants ?????
Eternal Rest with the thanks of a grateful nation.
RIP to those who served and the spouse. You will be welcome at the gates.
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