Dearborn’s Memorial Day Parade, Michigan’s oldest continuous tribute to America’s fallen,  marks its 86th year today with a special ceremonial funeral procession beginning at 9:30 a.m.

This first-of-its-kind funeral procession ceremony in Michigan, to honor forgotten servicemen, is the result of work by the Dearborn Allied War Veterans’ Council (DAWVC). You can view a city of Dearborn video that helps tell the story by clicking HERE.

Forgotten for generations, the unclaimed cremated remains of U.S. military veterans sit on shelves of funeral homes and state hospitals across the United States.

Mostly men, some were indigent or homeless; some outlived their families and friends. They ended up missing in America.

In Dearborn, 26 veteran cremains were found at local funeral homes. They will be buried with dignity by the DAWVC.

At 9:30 a.m. today, the DAWVC will pay final respects to the veterans who served in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

They expect to set a new standard for transferring the cremains, including a WWI veteran who had been languishing at funeral home since 1938.

The public is invited to line Michigan Avenue and watch a horse-drawn caisson carry a flag-draped coffin with the remains of the servicemen make its way along Michigan Avenue from the Dearborn Police Department near Greenfield, east to Dearborn City Hall at Schaefer.

An honor guard and military chaplains will accompany the caisson for the 1.25-mile funeral procession made possible by a recent change in state law.  State Rep. Gino Polidori (D-Dearborn) sponsored the bill that gives funeral homes the right to properly bury unclaimed veterans. A companion bill absolves funeral homes of any liability.

The new law allows funeral directors to compile and release the names of unclaimed cremated remains to a federally chartered veterans service group to confirm whether the deceased is eligible for proper burial at a veterans cemetery. Funeral directors will send a written notice to the veterans’ last known contact, notifying them of the plans to make a proper burial at a veterans cemetery. If the remains continue to go unclaimed, funeral directors are now permitted to make arrangements.

Dearborn’s Memorial Day parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. today, paying tribute to those who have given their lives while serving in America’s armed forces, and recognizes the sacrifices made by all military personnel and their families.

This year, the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council has chosen five outstanding men with connections to Dearborn, and representing all branches of the military, to be the grand marshals. They illustrate the DAWVC’s chosen theme of “Hometown Heroes.”

They are Col. Joseph M. Martin, commander of the U.S. Army’s 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team; Major Robert Seeley, 127th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron of the Michigan Air National Guard and a U.S. Air Force veteran; Marvin Steigerwald, Marine Corps veteran; Ron Blas, a U.S. Navy veteran and retired Navy reservist; and Matt Post, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 31st, 2010 at 7:06 am and is filed under Around Town. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.