(The Center Square) – Texans can honor veterans in the spirit of thanks as Thanksgiving approaches and year-round by participating in the Unaccompanied Veterans Program administered by the Texas General Land Office. The program offers burials for veterans with no known next of kin.
The next burial is scheduled on at 2 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen.
U.S. Army Veteran Sergeant First Class (SFC) Edward Franklin Taylor will be laid to rest Thursday. Born on Sept. 1, 1941, Taylor served from January 1964 to November 1993. He received the Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal for his service to our nation.
“SFC Taylor is not expected to have any next-of-kin attend his burial. Please help us spread the word and ensure that this U.S. Army Veteran is not buried alone. Members of the Killeen community are encouraged to attend,” the GLO said in news release. “SFC Taylor will receive military honors. If no next-of-kin is present at the burial, a Veterans Land Board Representative will accept the United States flag on his behalf.”
The GLO, the oldest agency in Texas, has administered programs for Texas veterans since 1836. It maintains five state veteran’s cemeteries in Abilene, Corpus Christi, Killeen, Lubbock and Mission, where it offers committal services.
“In Texas, we honor and respect our veterans and will always ensure that none of them are left behind,” GLO Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., said.
State veterans’ cemeteries have been built in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and are managed by the GLO’s Texas Land Board. They complement VA cemeteries located in Dallas-Ft. Worth, El Paso, Houston, Kerrville, and San Antonio. State burial benefits are identical to those offered at VA cemeteries, the GLO says.
Texas’ Unaccompanied Veterans Program was established 10 years ago for eligible veterans with no known next of kin. Veterans in these situations may have died when they were estranged from family members, suffered from mental illness or other health issues leading to societal isolation, or survivors can’t be located, the GLO explains.
Before the program was implemented, veterans’ remains were brought to state cemeteries and directly buried or interred with no honors or recognition of their military service.
Now veterans are interred “with honor and dignity, regardless of where they may have found themselves in life,” the GLO explains.
Local communities have been overwhelmingly supportive of the program, the GLO says. Funeral homes, county services, local judges and Patriot Guard Riders have contributed to ensure all eligible veterans are given honorable and dignified burial services, it says.
Members of the public who wish to be notified about upcoming Unaccompanied Veteran Burials near them are encouraged to follow the GLO events calendar or the cemeteries’ Facebook pages: Abilene, Corpus Christi, Killeen, Lubbock and Mission. Members of the public are also able to locate loved ones buried at VA cemeteries nationwide and leave tributes through the VA’s Veterans Legacy Memorial.
The GLO also works with federal counterparts to honor those returning home whose remains have been identified decades after they were killed. In Corpus Christi and Houston, the remains of service members killed in action on Pearl Harbor Day and D-Day, were recently buried, The Center Square reported. The were brought home to cheering crowds who lined the streets.
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The GLO also oversees affordable long-term nursing care for qualified veterans, spouses and Gold Star parents, provides low-interest loans through the Texas Land Board to veterans and military members, and oversees a “Voices of Veterans” oral history program, recording the first-hand accounts of veterans who served in all branches of the U.S. military.
The GLO says it provides Texas veterans “with more benefits than any other state.” Those in need of assistance may call the Texas Veterans Call Center at 1-800-252-8387 or email [email protected].