Unclaimed veteran remains laid to rest

In a solemn ceremony marked by quiet reflection and gratitude, community members gathered this week at Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Missoula to honor the lives of veterans whose remains had gone unclaimed.

The service was organized by local Sanders County veteran Greg Davis and in cooperation with Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association and the Patriot Guard of Montana PGOM. 

Four of the unclaimed remains came from Sunset Hill Funeral Home & Crematory in Plains, and two came from the Lake Funeral Home and Crematory in Polson. Both funeral homes were instrumental in getting the remains released for a dignified interment. 

The process for interment in a state military cemetery requires a series of legal steps including notices of the deceased with a six-month hold with no family found. The deceased must be verified as a veteran and no next of kin found or no funds for burial. A interment requires a responsible organization or official to coordinate the submission and finally approval and scheduling with the state Veterans Cemetery.  

The remains were transported to Missoula by Davis with each of the six remains being distributed among six members of the CVMA and PGOM. The group of motorcycle riding veterans were given a police escort to WMSVC. 

Volunteers worked to identify each of the remains. Five veterans and one civilian contractor attached to the Navy were identified. 

SSGT Gilman Russell Forsness was an Air Force veteran who served as an aircraft landing control pperator from June 1948 to May 1958. PPFC Paul Everett Hitchcock who served in the Army from January 1956 to December 1958. A1C Julian Carrion Rodrignez was an Air Force veteran who served as an aircraft mechanic from 1954 to 1957. Civilian Contractor Henry J Schmidt who worked as a civilian contractor with the Navy and was taken prisoner when Wake Island in the Pacific was captured by the Japanese in WW II. His service lasted from 1941 to 1945. Cpl Ronald Alvah Tidd was a US Marine and served as an Aviation Supply Clerk from October 1971 to July 1975. SP4 Danny Wallace Wormwood served in the US Army as a Light Weapons Infantryman in Vietnam from March 1966 to September 1967 and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart.  

At the ceremony, rows of American flags fluttered gently in the spring breeze held by members of the CVMA and PGOM. Only the gentle breeze broke the silence as each veteran’s name was read aloud.  

A bugler played “Taps,” echoing across the cemetery with members of local veteran organizations performed a rifle salute. Each urn was escorted with care by local military personal to their final resting place in WMSVC’s columbarium.  

The event highlighted a broader initiative across the country to locate and properly intern unclaimed veteran remains. Organizers for similar events are raising awareness, within their communities ensuring that no veteran is left behind — even after death.  

For those in attendance, the message was clear: service is never forgotten, and every life deserves recognition, respect, and remembrance. 

    Six American flags that will be interned with the unclaimed remains of veterans at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Missoula. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
  

    Sanders County veteran Greg Davis stands watch over the unclaimed veteran remains during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Montana Veterans Cemetery in Missoula. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)