20 May 2012 - Long Island funeral directors kept two promises Saturday: One they made to the families of the dead to care for the remains of their loved ones.The second was the government's: A promise to provide all veterans with a funeral will full military honors.
Both were accomplished Saturday at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, where a broad coalition of funeral directors and veterans groups provided a solemn service of prayer, music and military ceremony for 60 veterans whose cremated remains were never retrieved.
Several of the servicemen had served in World War I. One even served in the Spanish-American War, his earthly remains rested on a shelf for half a century until Saturday, guarded by a funeral home that could have simply disposed of him long ago.
But they didn't.
The Nassau-Suffolk Funeral Directors Association, working with numerous local and national veterans groups, decided the remains in their care needed a proper military burial. More than a year in the making, the group chose Armed Forces Day for the ceremony, attended by about 300 people Saturday.
"We realize it is a shame that these veterans were left behind," said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. "But we are a nation that does not forget, that after all these years these veterans deserve a proper funeral. It makes me proud to live in our country." read more>>>
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