Santa Fe to lay 50 unclaimed veterans to rest with honors

Santa Fe will lay 50 U.S. military veterans to rest with full military honors Thursday at Santa Fe National Cemetery, after a public memorial service in Albuquerque earlier in the morning. The service comes through New Mexico’s Forgotten Heroes Funeral Program, which arranges military funerals for veterans whose remains have gone unclaimed.

The ceremony is coordinated by the New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services, Bernalillo County, the New Mexico National Guard and Santa Fe National Cemetery.

“These veterans answered the call to serve our nation, and we have a responsibility to ensure their service and sacrifice are never forgotten,” NMDVS Cabinet Secretary Jamison Herrera said. “The Forgotten Heroes Funeral Program ensures they are laid to rest with the dignity, gratitude and respect they have earned.”

The memorial ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m. at Legacy Church, 4701 Wyoming Blvd. NE, in Albuquerque.

Following the service, law enforcement officers and motorcycle groups representing veteran service organizations will escort the veterans’ urns to Santa Fe National Cemetery for the burial with full military honors, set for 11 a.m. at 501 N. Guadalupe St. in Santa Fe.

Both the Albuquerque memorial and the Santa Fe burial are open to the public. Organizers have invited community members to stand as family for the veterans.