ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Thirty-eight unclaimed U.S. military veterans will be honored Thursday, September 18, through New Mexico’s Forgotten Heroes Funeral Ceremony Program, a statewide initiative that ensures veterans without next of kin receive a dignified burial with full military honors.
The public memorial begins at 9 a.m. at Legacy Church, 4701 Wyoming Blvd. NE in Albuquerque. Following the ceremony, the veterans’ urns will be escorted by law enforcement and veteran motorcycle groups to Santa Fe National Cemetery, where a burial with full honors will take place at 11 a.m.
The program is coordinated by the New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services (NMDVS), Bernalillo County, the New Mexico National Guard, and Santa Fe National Cemetery, with support from local law enforcement and funeral service providers.
The Forgotten Heroes Program launched in 2009, the Forgotten Heroes Funeral Program was created to ensure that honorably discharged veterans who die unclaimed by family or friends are not buried without recognition. The program is the only state-managed, regularly scheduled funeral service in the U.S. for unclaimed veterans.
Each urn is engraved with the veteran’s name and service dates, and the ceremony includes a eulogy, military honors, and a final salute from attendees who serve as symbolic family. The program has grown to include participation from all 33 counties in New Mexico, with funeral services provided at no cost by Director’s Choice Mortuary.
Officials say the initiative reflects a commitment to honoring service members regardless of their circumstances at death. “Though they passed without family by their side, today we stand as their family,” said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham during a previous ceremony.
The public is invited to attend and participate in this final tribute.
