COLORADO SPRINGS — More than 100 people showed up at the Pikes Peak National Cemetery Tuesday morning for a ceremony for an unclaimed veteran, but there was a surprise.
Initially, Jim E. Van Hoose Jr. was marked as an unclaimed veteran. That status is given when a veteran dies and no known family can come to claim the remains.
So, the community is encouraged to come show support on the veteran's behalf.
Covering Colorado
Colorado Springs Community invited to service for unclaimed veteran Tuesday
The cemetery sometimes gets a small number to come pay their respects. But in Tuesday's ceremony, more than 100 people showed up, including Van Hoose's son Shawn.
Shawn found out about his father's passing late Monday night after his brother told him he saw it on social media, so Shawn and his family hopped on a plane from Salem, Oregon so they could be at the cemetery.
"So we planned this whole ceremony to be an unclaimed veteran's ceremony, that's the way that we had received the information," said Skyler Holmes, Pikes Peak National Cemetery Director. "We went through our normal checks and all of that to ensure that we couldn't locate any next of kin. And this morning we had the next of kin, the son of the decedent, actually show up and introduced himself as the son of Mr. Van Hoose."
Shawn says he is grateful, as well as overwhelmed and shocked about the turnout at Tuesday's ceremony. He also added how important it is to honor our veterans and also show support for their families.
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