Seven Monterey County men who served in the U.S. military and died in the last few years without anyone to claim their remains are finally going to be laid to rest with honors at a special ceremony at 11am Thursday, May 14, at the California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery in Seaside.
"For various reasons their remains were unclaimed, and it's now upon us to do a dignified ceremony and burial for them," said Jack Murphy, veterans services officer for Monterey and San Benito counties during a press briefing on May 6.
Murphy has been organizing a ceremony for veterans who died without anyone claiming their remains for a couple of years now. Last year the ceremony honored six veterans whose ashes were inurned in niches at the cemetery.
This year seven men are being honored, one Marine and six Army veterans. Two were in combat in Vietnam and two served at Fort Ord. They ranged in ages between 58 to 80 years old at the time of their deaths.
They will be buried this year, in the in-ground section of the cemetery. Cemetery staff are dedicating the entire day to the burials, Murphy said.
"It's not easy to do seven burials at once," he said.
In addition to cemetery staff, others helping to make the event possible include the Monterey County Sheriff-Coroner's Office, Patriot Guard Riders, U.S. Army Color Guard from the Presidio of Monterey, VFW Post and American Legion members and Joe Heston, a volunteer with Bugles Across America.
The seven men who will be laid to rest include:
• Cpl. Jimmie L. Terry, U.S. Marine Corps
• Specialist 4 Jerry D. Crawford, U.S. Army
• Specialist 4 Richard Sweetz, U.S. Army
• Specialist 4 Robert A. Stillman, U.S. Army
• Specialist 5 Donald N. Fousek, U.S. Army
• Specialist 4 Tommy W. Williamson, U.S. Army
• Pvt. Eugene W. Berck, U.S. Army
The cemetery is located at 2900 Parker Flats Cut-off Road, Seaside.