San Diego's Veterans Museum Provides Honorable Burials

>> >>JOANNE: About 12 years ago some retired military officers learned that not all Veterans
were being buried with dignity. Some remains were being shipped to fort rosekrans
national cemetery in FedEx bogs boxes. Thank you admiral for being here.
Why was this happening? >> >>: You know, you get Veterans that die
without families, even in San Diego you get homeless Veterans that are living oon the
street that die and they were either being, you know, just taken and buried and like when
you had family boxes coming to fort rosekrans without family or anything like that, they
would put them in and berry them. There was no formal service, no recognition
of their service, and we at the Veterans museum felt we needed to do something to treat them
with hawn toor give them the recognition that wasn't being done.
>> >>JOANNE: We know that one in four homeless people here in San Diego sta war Veteran,
is a military Veteran. How often was this happening wh where these
vets were being buried without this military honor?
>> >>KATIE: I can't speak historically but today as we do it, we will have anywhere from
one to four caskets that will come to the museum, once a month we do a memorial service
dollar. >> >>: And so if we have identified Veteran
that has no family or is homeless, then we take them in. We partnered with dignity memorial,
glen aby cemetery in bonita with the Veterans journal alocal Veterans group such as a pearl
harbor survivors and the Marine Corps league. We provide full honors military furn funeral,
we have an honor guard, and fire three volleys, and usually it's the 82ND honor guard that
does that force. We have other group dooz it too.
We put flowers on the casket, they're broughtÊ glen aby provides an actual casket and bring
as funeral service hurs to the museum. If they are cremated remains they go to fort
rose krans. With the opening of Miramar, they can be you
know, entered right here in San Diego. So it's a combination and it's not us by any
means, but it's expus glen aby, and Veterans journal and the pearl harbor survivors and
other Veterans groups that pull together and do the services.
We have music and everything, and they're very moving.
>> >>JOANNE: Tell us why especially on memorial day.
Why this is so important, why this matters. >> >>: Sure, especially when you have a Veteran
that has lost all his family, or he's homeless or just a last family member in his line,
there's no one to say goodbye to him. So we do that.
>> >>JOANNE: It mean as lot. You've obviously attended these?
>> >>: Yes. As a matter of fact, when I was on active
duty y did four formal ceremonies at ar lng tn national cemetery, honor guard, horses,
bands the wholeÊ so they're movingÊ very moving ceremonies.
>> >>JOANNE: There might be some people at home who maybe want to attend and be a part
of this. Where can they get more information?
>> >>: On the fourth Saturday of every month we do a memorial service at the museum.
First we read the names of all those Veterans that are passed away in San Diego county it,
the names of all the active duty personnel that have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We pull the bell, ring the bell after that. Then if we have any indigent Veterans or homeless
Veteran that are there, or Veterans without family, we bring the caskets in and do a full
honors funeral service, fold the flag, present it to either one of the pearl harbor survivors.
>> >>JOANNE: Do you have a website? >> >>: Yes, WWW.veteran museum.org, there's
no S. >> >>JOANNE: Thank you so much for being here.
>> >>: Oo sure.