Thirteen unclaimed veterans and one military spouse received a fitting tribute during a memorial in Waukee, Iowa.
It was a final salute to honor those who served the country but had either lost touch with family members or had no remaining family living in proximity, according to WeAreIowa.com in Des Moines.
Hundreds lined up at the Lutheran Church of Hope in Waukee to pay tribute to the unclaimed veterans and tell their stories, making sure their lives were not forgotten.
While the event is a somber tradition, organizers believe it’s the best way to honor those who often feel left behind by society. The Final Salute, organizers of the event, have a motto: No One is Forgotten, Veterans and Civilians Alike.
“It’s the right thing to do,” said Lanae Strovers, Final Salute Director.
Strovers, a former funeral director, didn’t serve in the military and didn’t have direct family ties to service, but when she discovered there were many unclaimed veterans across the nation, she wanted to do something to honor them.
“We realized that urns weren’t just in the basements of funeral homes,” Strovers said. “They were in apartment buildings, storage units that had been abandoned, on the side of the road … all different places.”
Strovers wondered what place would serve as the proper burial ground. She found it at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter.
The memorial service on Oct. 4 shared as many details as researchers could uncover about the unclaimed veterans.
“They lived a whole life. It’s not just about being born and dying,” Strovers said. “You don’t go to any other funeral and not hear about the whole person. So, we feel very strongly about trying to tell the whole story.”
To make an event of this magnitude work, it takes several volunteers to come together behind the scenes. In Iowa, a group of military moms has banded together to help The Final Salute honor unclaimed veterans.
“There was a mother somewhere that loved their child but knew that once they joined (the military), her new job was to support them,” said April Conway, program volunteer and Blue Star mom. “And now, their mother is not here. We’re going to be their mom.”
In a country grappling with divisiveness, memorializing unclaimed veterans is work most people agree is worthwhile.
“Everybody is coming together to honor them because they’re Americans, and they served our country,” Strovers said. “I think we need more of that community and getting together right now.”
The memorial included photos of each deceased veteran, and visitors could read information about each of them before the ceremony. Following the memorial, the veterans were buried at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery.
