Interment of the Unclaimed
On June 11th, 2024, members of Chapter XIX had the honor to participate in a Veterans internment ceremony at the Brigadier General William Doyle Veterans Cemetery in Arnystown, NJ. 19 veterans, who have never been claimed by family members after they passed, were laid to rest with full military honors. Chapter XIX members carried the remains, flag and flower for WWI US Army Veteran, John F. Fenske.
Dear Lord,
We gather to fulfill the final step in our vow that no veteran will be left behind. Abandoned for years, our comrades rested on shelves, their souls with you, their remains never given the honors they deserved.
Today they will finally be reunited with their fellow veterans in a manner that properly dignifies their service to their country and to their fellow man. They are completing the final patrol, the last deployment. They stand before you, mission complete.
At a time when our country needed their service, they left home, family, and jobs to protect the principles of freedom and self governance, established by their forefathers and paid for in blood and sacrifice. They served in the European theater in World Wars I and II, traversed the U Boat infested waters of the North Atlantic, and fought on the charred islands and rolling seas of the Pacific. They endured the bone numbing cold of Korea and the steamy jungles of Vietnam. They preserved the peace in engagements during the Cold War. They served on land, sea, and air. They went where others wouldn’t and did things others couldn’t, asking nothing in return. They fought for country and family, but more importantly, they fought with and for each other. They made the impossible seem routine. Honor and service were principles they believed in. Their sacrifices guaranteed the freedoms we all enjoy.
Now Father, in your name, we commend them to your care.
Amen
