May 31, 2010 New law helps inter cremated remains that sit unclaimed Thirty-three years after his death, World War II Army veteran Peter Latka will finally get his military funeral.

Latka's cremated remains, or cremains, have been in storage since 1977 at Querfeld Funeral Home in Dearborn. Today, the cremains of the Dearborn resident and 13 other veterans with Michigan ties will be honored with a military caisson parade and ceremony in Dearborn, then taken to the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly Township to be placed in the columbarium wall.
• COMPLETE COVERAGE:Michigan's fallen heroes The cremains are believed to be among thousands nationwide left unclaimed at funeral homes or state institutions, according to the Missing in America Project. The project has recovered the cremains of nearly 700 veterans nationwide since 2007. It works with veterans groups to have the cremains interred. Some cremains date from the 1800s. "These guys, they paid their dues, and they deserve a lot better than to be sitting on some shelf somewhere. They paid the price. They deserve to be honored and respected," said Larry Root of the project's Michigan chapter. Caring for forgotten veterans When Gino Polidori learned that funeral homes across the country have been storing the cremated remains of veterans unclaimed by their families for years, it made him angry. "Disgusting," is how the Democratic state representative from Dearborn described the situation. The cremains, as they are known by funeral homes, are often kept in nondescript tin containers in storage areas. "I said, 'I can't believe this is happening in America,' " he added. Polidori, who said he read about the phenomenon in a veterans magazine, and Rep. Kenneth Kurtz, R-Coldwater, sponsored a pair of bills that create a process for the unclaimed cremains of Michigan veterans to be interred. Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the legislation May 19, allowing interments to begin in time for Memorial Day. Without the changes in state law, the cremains of veterans would have remained at funeral homes, state institutions and other locations where they have been kept, in most cases, for decades. Posted by (Jan) at Monday, May 31, 2010 Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook http://www.michiganasiseeit.com/2010/05/new-law-helps-inter-cremated-remains.html