Greenlawn Post 1244 joins the Missing in America Project (M.I.A.P.)
Veterans Recovery Program
History:
During an inventory of a crematorium, in 2006 two cremation urns were discovered in a closet storage facility. The urns contained the unclaimed remains of Sgt. Trueman, a veteran of the Vietnam conflict and his wife (also a veteran). The year of death for Sgt. Trueman was 1979. For 27 years, the resting place for Sgt. and Mrs. Trueman was a storage facility in a crematorium. Other funeral homes and crematoriums were inventoried. Other unclaimed remains of veterans were discovered. In November 2006, the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery interred 21 cremated remains of forgotten veterans, with full military honors and the dignity these fallen heroes so richly deserve. This incident inspired MIAP.
In 2006 Retired Army Major, Fred Salanti, a Vietnam War veteran felt that this was a sad day for the veterans of our Country. He decided something should be done about this deplorable condition. Through his efforts and dedication, the Missing in America Project was formed. This is now a national organization. It's Mission Statement. Is as follows:
" The mission of the MIAP project is to locate, identify and intern the unclaimed cremated remains of veterans through the joint efforts of private, state, and federal organizations ; to provide honor and respect to those who have served our country , by securing a final resting place for these forgotten heroes ".
On May 9-10, 2007 The National Executive Committee of the American Legion in regular meeting assembled in Indianapolis, Indiana Adopted Resolution 24 , that the American Legion supports the mission of the Missing in America project .
At the June 10th monthly meeting of Post 1244 the MIAP issues were brought up and discussed, the commanders thought that this would be in keeping with the American Legion's mission and a useful project for our Post. Consequently, our post initiated a team to pursue this mission in the Long Island area.
The following Bill is supported by MIAP 100% along with the American Legion's National Officers:
Missing in America Act 2009
(House Bill 2642)
Veterans Missing in America Act of 2009 - Recognizes the tireless work and dedication of the Missing in America Project, in conjunction with numerous veterans service organizations, in identifying unclaimed remains of veterans. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to cooperate with such organizations to assist entities in possession of unclaimed or abandoned human remains in determining if any such remains are the remains of veterans or other individuals eligible for burial in a national cemetery. Requires the Secretary, upon a positive determination with respect to any such remains, to provide for and cover the cost of the burial and funeral expenses if the Secretary determines that:
(1) there is no next of kin or other person claiming the remains; and
(2) there are no other sufficient resources to cover such expenses. Directs the Secretary to establish a publicly accessible database of the names of any veteran or other individual so identified.
Please ask your Federal and State Representatives to support this bill.
MIAP: www.MIAP.us
MIAP National Executive Director Fred Salanti: ducpho@miap.us
MIAP National Coordinator Linda Smith: sailormom@miap.us (573-528-6930)
American Legion Post 1244 MIAP Chairman John Caldarelli: JCaldarelli@Optonline.net