Commemoration to our Vets

As we approach Remembrance Day, I am hoping that perhaps your readership can assist me with a solemn, but important task related to Veterans. I am the National Secretary of the Last Post Fund and one of our initiatives is called the Unmarked Grave Program.  We are a non-profit organization with a mission "to ensure that no Veteran is denied a dignified funeral and burial, as well as a military gravestone, due to insufficient funds at time of death." In many circumstances, when Veterans passed away either they, or their family, did not have the financial means to pay for a suitable marker.

In our attempt to locate unmarked Veteran graves, I rely on members of the community to provide me with leads to follow up. Our criteria to provide a marker is relatively straightforward: The UMG Program is available to eligible Veterans whose grave has not had a permanent headstone or foot marker for five years or more, and who have not previously received funeral and burial funding from the Last Post Fund or Veterans Affairs Canada. I will also point out that a Veteran to us is someone who served, regardless of the era and how long they served! If a grave of a veteran has been marked with a temporary marker (IE: wooden cross), we will also consider replacing it with something more permanent.

If any of your readers are aware of an unmarked Veteran's grave, regardless of location, I would love to hear from them. I can be reached at [email protected] or Ken Usher @ (236) 422-1129  or learn to more about the Last Post Fund www.lastpostfund.ca

Ken Usher, Penticton