Ordinarily, they would have been quietly buried in a potter's field, their graves unmarked. Instead, they and 17 other veterans who died in recent months received full military honors at a mass funeral this weekend, including prayers over their flag-draped coffins, bagpipers, the playing of "Taps" and local congressmen offering condolences.
The mass service Saturday at Calverton National Cemetery on eastern Long Island - the largest of it kind in U.S. history, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs - was part of a national initiative in recent years to clear a massive backlog of unburied or unclaimed cremated remains of both veterans and non-veterans.
"Our government promised every veteran a decent burial; that doesn't include sitting on a shelf in some funeral home basement," said Fred Salanti of Redding, Calif. The retired Army major is the founder and executive director of the Missing in America Project, which strives to provide a respectful funeral for any veteran who received an honorable discharge.
Salanti estimates two or three million remains - mostly cremaa promise to his comrades who gave their lives in service to the country.
"They made a commitment," Caldarelli said. "When our veterans are abandoned and there is no family to speak for them, I will speak for them. I am their family."
Michael Picerno, director of the VA's Calverton National Cemetery, said the funeral was the largest mass burial of unclaimed veterans in history.
"These veterans served their country and we're here to ensure they get the honor and a burial they deserve," Picerno said. "It doesn't matter who they are or what happened to them after their service."
Also working to clear the backlog of unclaimed remains is the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program. The national network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers picks up the bill for caskets and other expenses associated with the burials. Dignity since 2000 has provided funeral services for more than 850 unclaimed veterans in 32 cities.
"At one time these men and women raised their hand and said 'I will give my life for my country,"' said Chris Marsh, Dignity's director of corporate alliances. "Regardless of what happened to these people in their lifetime, that's not for us to judge. Any veteran who received an honorable discharge should be recognized in this way."
The 11 a.m. service at Calverton included prayers and comments from local congressmen Timothy Bishop and Steve Israel. Caldarelli said the flags on the veterans coffins, which ordinarily are presented to the next of kin, were distributed to representatives of some veterans groups assisting with the ceremony.
"Anytime I see a soldier who is abandoned, a sadness comes over me," said Caldarelli. "They made a commitment. We feel America should recognize them, we should respect and honor them and see they are interred properly."
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