‘Not just statistics or names on a roster’

8 Connecticut veterans finally receive proper burial

MIDDLETOWN — The cremated remains of eight veterans who fought in both world wars, Vietnam and Korea were finally laid to rest Friday in a funeral at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.

Some of these men’s remains went unclaimed for several decades. This week, they received a proper burial.

After a brief prayer service at the state Department of Veterans Affairs campus in Rocky Hill, four hearses made their way to 317 Bow Lane for a ceremony in their honor.

It was made possible through a combined effort between the state DVA and Connecticut Funeral Directors Association, Commissioner Thomas J. Saadi said. A lot of planning went into the event, the commissioner added, as both his office and the CFDA have a shared goal.

“We have a common mission of ensuring these veterans are no longer forgotten,” Saadi said.

John F. Cascio, executive director of the CFDA, called it an honor to help give veterans a proper resting place. “We felt it was their right,” he said.

Since 2009, Cascio and his organization have teamed up with the DVA to track down the remains of veterans at funeral homes around the state that have gone unclaimed.

Through this project, an effort is made to track down living relatives.

Cascio said there are a few reasons remains may go unclaimed. Often, the individual simply has no living relatives, and, at other times, family members assume the remains will be handled by the military branch where the individual served.

“It’s not usually a case of neglect,” he said.

Friday’s ceremony was the seventh of its kind in the state. Over 100 people, most of them veterans, gathered in the cemetery to honor their fellow servicemen.

Laid to rest were:

▶ Victor Hebert Anderson, a U.S. Marine who fought in the Korean War and died in Seymour in 2018.

▶ Orville K. Davis, who fought in WWII with the U.S. Army and died in Southington in 1993.

▶ Stephen Yoder Forrester, who fought in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Army and died in Branford in 1972.

▶ Joseph P. Galipeau who fought in WWII with the U.S. Army and died in Southington in 2001.

▶ Lawrence W. Jordan, who fought in WWI with the U.S. Army and died in Branford in 1976.

▶ Bernard Joseph Lafleur, who fought in WWII with the U.S. Navy and died in Southington in 2007.

▶ George Dalton Parker, who fought in WWII with the U.S. Navy and died in Hartford in 1984.

▶ Lawrence Earl Tefft, who fought in WWII with the U.S. Navy and died in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 1998.

All eight men were posthumously presented with wartime service medals.

“They were not just statistics or names on a roster,” Saadi said. “They were loved.”

He said Friday’s proceedings exemplify how the honoring of veterans continue even after death.

“While these men passed without friends or family to remember then, they are not forgotten,” Saadi said. “These departed brothers are forgotten no longer because you are here.”

Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System Director Alfred A. Montoya Jr., also a veteran, spoke about what the event means to those who serve their country. “Today’s ceremony puts in action the words, ‘Thank you for your service.’”

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., applauded the DVA and CFDA for creating this initiative which went on to be implemented in other states. “Thank you for creating a model that is being followed by states around the country to honor veterans,” he said.

He spoke on behalf of U.S. Congress members in commending the men, along with the veterans in attendance for their sacrifice and willingness to serve. “That sacrifice is extraordinary,” Murphy said.

The ceremony included multiple color guards, a firing detail, the playing of Taps, and a benediction.

Adam Hushin / Hearst Connecticut Media Eight Connecticut veterans, whose remains sat unclaimed, some for as long as several decades, were buried during a funeral ceremony at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown Friday.