Veterans without families buried weekly at Riverside National Cemetery
Volunteers hold ceremonies to recognize those who died with no one to plan their funerals
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders perform a military burial ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, at National Cemetery for veterans who died without family to bury them. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
No veterans should die without family members to bury them.
That’s why each Wednesday morning, a group of volunteers and Riverside National Cemetery employees take action.
They hold a brief ceremony for veterans who have died but had no one to claim their remains. Then their remains are buried at the nation’s largest and busiest national cemetery. Rarely a family member is located and attends, but usually these veterans are buried by strangers.
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders, led by Steve Sorenson, 74, center, salute Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, during a funeral and burial at Riverside National Cemetery for veterans who died without family to bury them. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Patriot Guard Riders member Steve Sorenson, 74, performs a funeral Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, for veterans who died without family at Riverside National Cemetery. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A dog tag that states “Our country is in mourning for a hero died today” is seen Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, during a Veterans Without Family funeral and burial at Riverside National Cemetery. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
The remains of veterans who died without family members to bury them wait to be unloaded from the coroner’s van Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, at Riverside National Cemetery. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Riverside National Cemetery employees prepare Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, for the burial of four veterans who died without family to bury them. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders, Michael Schmitz, 79, left, and Cliff Mansker, 74, fold a flag during a Veterans Without Family funeral and burial Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, at Riverside National Cemetery. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Riverside National Cemetery employees move a casket from the coroner’s van to a grave Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, during a burial for a veteran who died without family. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders pay respects Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, during a Veterans Without Families ceremony at Riverside National Cemetery. Each Wednesday, the cemetery buries veterans who died without family members to bury them. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders hold American flags as a casket is lowered into its grave Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, during a burial at Riverside National Cemetery for a veteran who died without family members to arrange a funeral. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders perform a military burial ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, at National Cemetery for veterans who died without family to bury them. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
The Patriot Guard Riders member Jon Hemp, 77, reads the names of the veterans who died without family members to bury them during a Veterans Without Family funeral and burial ceremony at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Cemetery employees post QR codes for Veterans Legacy Memorial for the four veterans who were buried during a Veterans Without Family funeral and burial ceremony at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Howard Young, 81, plays taps during a Veterans Without Family funeral and burial ceremony at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Without family members to arrange funerals and burials, they end up at coroner’s offices across Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, cemetery Assistant Director Oliver Villalobos said.
Using fingerprinting, coroners identify them as veterans and contact the cemetery.
The ceremonies are done, Villalobos said, in hopes of “recognizing these veterans and thanking them for their service.”
Volunteers from the Patriot Guard Riders staff each week’s service, which saw four Los Angeles County veterans laid to rest Wednesday, Nov. 8 — two days before Veterans Day.
At the rate of four burials a week, the cemetery buries more than 200 such veterans a year, Villalobos said.
The recognition doesn’t end on the vast grassy fields of the Riverside National Cemetery campus.
The National Cemetery Administration runs a program called the Veterans Legacy Memorial, which creates a webpage saluting each “unclaimed veteran.” Nearly 10 million veterans are listed in a searchable database that bears the logo of their military branch. The public can even submit an online tribute to a veteran.
Online pages for the four men buried Wednesday already can be found.
“These Veterans served their country with honor and distinction,” a cemetery document on this week’s burials states. “They could not have family or friends attend their service, but they are not alone as we now have the opportunity to thank them for their sacrifice and keep them in our memory in perpetuity though their Veterans Legacy Memorial pages.”
