During the Vietnam War, the soldiers who did not make it were sent home to be laid to rest by their families. For varying circumstances, some of these soldiers' remains were never claimed. The Missing in America Project is a group that is dedicated to identifying and locating the remaining family members of these fallen heroes. The project's website stated that it had helped identify and honorably intern over 500 unclaimed veterans since its beginning.
Vietnam veteran John Hundahl partnered with The Missing in America Project to identify the remains of 47 veterans in the Medical Lake, Washington, area. According to The Tri-City Herald, many of the remains have been unclaimed for over 20 years.
"There was a gentleman who served in Korea, Vietnam and World War II and his urn was never claimed," Amy Coffman, an employee of a local funeral home, told KREM-2 News. "How sad that this national hero who dedicated his life to serving and protecting us was never honored until today."
Hundahl and the MIAP made it their mission to arrange for these remains to get a proper military internment ceremony before they were finally laid to rest at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery. On Sept. 15, they oversaw the public event that finally honored the unclaimed soldiers.