KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Eight unclaimed veterans were laid to rest at an East Tennessee cemetery on Thursday, as part of an effort to honor veterans who may not have had families to claim them after they died.
The East Tennessee Regional Forensic Center and the Dignity Memorial Homeless/Unclaimed Veteran Burial Program worked together to bury the veterans. They served in the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and in the U.S. Army and were buried at the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on Gov. John Sevier Highway.
A memorial service started at 12 p.m. on May 9, and the public was invited to attend it. They were buried with military honors from the Navy, the Army, the East Tennessee Veterans Honor Guard, the Volunteer State Honor Guard and the Pigeon Forge Honor Guard. There was also a motorcycle escort provided by motorcycle chapters and the Knox County Sheriff's Office.
Some of the names of those who were buried on Thursday are listed below.
- Sergeant Billy Walter Sharbono (1947-2024), US Air Force (1972-1978)
- Airman Richard Remine (1947-2023), US Air Force (1967-1968)
- Airman Basic Michael Anthony Scales (1961-2023), US Air Force (1980)
- Airman Recruit Ray Harrison Cate (1956-2023), US Navy (1973-1974)
- Gunners Mate (Guns) Seaman Apprentice James Leonard Murrell (1958-2023), US Navy (1976-1981), USS Lawrence DDG-4
- Pvt2 Michael David Sharpe, Jr. (1971-2023), US Army (1989-1992)
In 2018, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimated there were between 11,500 and 52,600 unclaimed veterans' remains at funeral homes across the country. The department said in the 2023 fiscal year, it interred more than 2,300 of them at veterans cemeteries, and in grant-funded state and tribal veterans cemeteries.