TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
As we remember the sacrifices made by our veterans, there's a
small group of people dedicated to making sure no veteran in our country is
forgotten.
The Missing in America Project has only been active in Arizona for
a couple years and already they've made sure dozens of local war heroes are
getting a proper burial fit for a soldier.
A small section at Evergreen Cemetery is known as the pauper's gravesite, a place where the
unidentified, the homeless, and the unknown are buried.
Some of them are veterans. They
survived the wars and this organization wants to make sure their sacrifices will
never be forgotten.
A war hero name Gregoria Castano was found buried in a pauper's grave.
"We found out he was not only a veteran but he was an
awardee of a purple heart. Better than that, a bronze star of valor in
World War II," said Jim Fuller, with Arizona's Missing in America project.
Thanks to the Missing in America project and some forensic
science, this forgotten war hero was identified and given a funeral fit
for a soldier. The funeral that he deserved.
"At the funeral the other day the
coroners office, people trained to have resilience, people from the coroner's
office cried," said Fuller.
Thousands of veterans remains are stacked
up on shelves in county morgues and state hospitals.
Cremated remains of forgotten heroes
who served our country, but on their last day there was no
one to serve them and give them that burial they deserved.
These remains are lying
in plastic bags, cardboard boxes and in one particular case "they were found in Campbell soup cans," said Fuller.
Nationwide, volunteers with MIAP have found the remains of
more than 2,000 war veterans, 400 of them in Arizona.
To date, 74 have been given the proper burial. 70 of those veterans are from Tucson, now buried at
the state cemetery in Sierra Vista.
"Most of them were homeless vets. There were a
few that probably just outlived their families," Fuller said.
No matter what their story, or their rank "at some point they saw fit to sign their name
on a dotted line that said I will serve my country. I am willing to
give my life for this country. This country should honor
them," he said.
One funeral at a time, this organization of
volunteers have dedicated their lives to making sure our veterans get
the honor they deserve, even after their death.
"The slogan, the mantra of the Missing in
America project is it's the right thing to do," he said.
To find out more on the Missing in America project click here: http://bit.ly/ZySECn.
Copyright 2012 Tucson News Now. All rights reserved.
