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March 16, 2011 in City
Detective work pays off in quest to honor forgotten vets
Rich Cesler, director of the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake, looks at a niche wall at the cemetery, where the cremated remains of veterans are stored, Monday. Cesler is part of a drive to find and honor the remains of military veterans.
(Full-size photo)
When Lyndon A. Atwood died in Clarkston six years ago, no one noticed for days.
He was broke. No next of kin. The county eventually cremated him, and an acquaintance apparently picked up the remains and placed them in the trunk of his car. Where they sat, it appears, until six weeks ago. That’s when workers at an auto-detailing shop in Lewiston opened that trunk and found the remains of Lyndon A. Atwood and an American flag.
Lyndon A. Atwood – alone, abandoned, unknown – had once been Army Spc. Lyndon A. Atwood.
The shop workers contacted the local VFW hall, and the remains eventually made their way to Rich Cesler, the director of the Washington State Veterans Cemetery and a crusader for finding and honoring forgotten veterans. Within three days, Cesler had Atwood’s remains placed at the cemetery – another veteran unforgotten, though Cesler knows there are many more out there.
He wants to find them, and his efforts to do so have helped spark a nationwide effort that has found and interred more than 1,000 forgotten veterans.
“For us to just say, ‘Well, they died …’ ” – he pantomimes a shrug of indifference – “and not take care of them is absurd.”
Cesler has been on a six-year campaign – contacting funeral homes and nursing homes, coroners and medical examiners for unclaimed remains, and then researching them to see if they served in the military. If they did, he works to see they are buried with full honors.
The brand-new cemetery outside Medical Lake has interred 13 such veterans, with another 10 and two spouses ready to be placed. The veterans cemetery in Boise, where Cesler began his campaign in 2005, has interred 46 veterans.
The remains are interred as they are received, and Cesler organizes formal services on a regular basis.
And that is just a start. Cesler says there are some 6,000 cremations to be checked for veteran status in Eastern Washington; typically, 1 in 8 would be a veteran. Clark County recently sent him a list of 256 indigent people who have died there in recent years. “Fifty-four of them were, in fact, veterans,” he said.
A Kellogg funeral home recently turned over the cremated remains of 12 veterans to Cesler, including two men who served in World War I. A veteran and his wife’s remains were found not long ago in a storage locker in Meridian, Idaho.
“We’re recovering our veterans,” Cesler said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Cesler’s work inspired the national Missing in America Project. The project is now active in 30 states, and more than 1,000 veterans’ remains have been found and given a proper burial.
Cesler, a Vietnam veteran, had not really considered the plight of unclaimed veterans when he was named director of the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in 2005. At one meeting early in his tenure, a woman asked him a question.
“She said, ‘Rich, what are you doing about finding veterans who are abandoned in funeral homes around our state?” he said. “I was kind of dumbfounded. I said, ‘I can’t answer that question, but let me do some research.’ ”
Within two weeks, he said, he’d found the remains of 17 veterans at funeral homes in Idaho. He began working with lawmakers and government officials to start changing the laws to allow funeral homes and others to release remains to veterans cemeteries, and to eliminate the two-year deadline for veterans to claim burial benefits. In 2007, he was named the director of the effort to establish a new veterans cemetery outside Medical Lake, which opened last year on Memorial Day.
Meanwhile, he’s been steadily at it, enlisting veterans groups to help and visiting funeral homes, nursing homes and coroners. Once potential veterans are found, there is daunting detective work to be done. In the Atwood case, it was a relatively quick matter because he had a case history with the VA after serving in the Army from 1956 to 1959, and his remains included a birth certificate. But in other cases, running down the verification that someone served in the military can be a challenge – and Cesler has a staffer who is doing the bulk of the work.
“It’s extremely hard,” said Cesler. “There is a lot of research that goes into it.”
Fred Salanti, the executive director of the Missing in America Project, said that he’s been astounded at the numbers of veterans whose remains have not been given a proper burial across the country. When he formed his organization – using the name and the spark provided by Cesler – he thought he might find 10,000 to 15,000 veterans.
“Now I think we’re going to bury 150,000 veterans by the time we’re done – or even more,” he said. “I think it’s mind-boggling.”
Shawn Vestal can be reached at (509) 459-5431 or shawnv@spokesman.com.
The draw of the unknowable 
ChefGus/ John Olsen on March 16 at 5:05 a.m.
Shawn, thank you for this article on this fine man. It is not often brought up on conversations at Shalom and House of Charity in Spokane…. but fully 35 - 40 percent of our chronic homeless are Veterans. They deserve better than they have gotten and a “final resting place” is a fine good thing. john
Diana on March 16 at 6:23 a.m.
I hope everyone who has one of those “support the troops” stickers on the back of their SUV reads this article.
Support the troops? Lip service only. How about supporting them before they die broke, homeless and forgotten?
woamike on March 16 at 8:31 a.m.
You tell um saint Diana. Way to scold the the “fakes” with “support the troops” stickers. They’re all hypocrites, right? With their “lip service” and all.
ZagChuck on March 16 at 9:37 a.m.
This is another reason why I supported John Ahern, in the Sixth District.
A Veteran himself, John worked hard on both sides of the aisle, before eventually obtaining passage of legislation that created and supported a Soldiers retirement home here in Spokane, and the creation of the Veterans Cemetery, here in Spokane County as well.
He does more than just provide lip service, and I’m thankful for him.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on March 16 at 9:38 a.m.
I do not, nor have I ever had anyone who drives a car with a “Support the Troops” sticker actually come and serve a meal to the Homeless Veterans…..not once….. all are welcome…. come on down WoaMike….:)) You can be a “first” … Gus
ChefGus/ John Olsen on March 16 at 9:39 a.m.
I know Diana is a Veteran woamike…. when and where did you serve and what was your MOS?? j
MrNatural on March 16 at 9:41 a.m.
Great story and a wonderful and noble effort Mr. Cesler
woamike on March 16 at 2:23 p.m.
Gus,
AF, 22 years, pilot, 2 wars. Happy?
I didn’t realize you did bumper sticker checks on people. I’m sure you wouldn’t like mine.
Diana may be a “vet”, but she’s also a sanctimonious miscreant in my book with plenty of hit and run attacks on people who do not believe the way she does. Same goes for her komrade, “misinformed”. I grow weary of them and their group-think thugs.
“Bagger, please!”
Just one man’s opinion.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on March 16 at 3:20 p.m.
woamike.. thanks for the info.. i was but a Medical Service Corps Captain for two years 68-70 served in Panama…. Now,, that i know the fact that you are a vet makes me wish even more you’d come on down andhelp us… we can Always use extra hands and smiles for the guys n gals.. give me a call or drop me an email if you have the time… 220 4534 jcielsbleu@gmail.com and i’m sure you’d smile at my bummer sticker too…. HRC = sign and an NRA window sticker and an Army hat in the window… ( I have an NRA hat too) there are more than two sides to all of us…. best j
opeled on March 16 at 5:56 p.m.
thank you …probably where I will end up
ChefGus/ John Olsen on March 16 at 6:35 p.m.
opeled…. sounds like you might be a vet too…. you and all out there are welcome at Shalom/House of Charity/ and Veterans for Peace chapter 35 here in Spokane….. hope you are doing ok… so many of our combat vets ( as I suspect woamike is) do have some time to think about their situation, and to maunder on the Bus / Mass /Transit signs “Support our Veterans”… and the nice stickers on cars etc… but reality is more “real” when I worked at Group Health CoOp on the Wet side… there was a young man who had flown bombing missions over Cambodia during the Viet Nam War … he had gone to Optometry School on the G.I. bill and was a fine young man.. made permanent Medical Staff …serving at the Central Clinic…. and three or four years after he signed on with us….( 1975- or 1976) in spite of a loving and caring wife, and three children… went to the garage one night and turned on the car… piped the exhaust into the cab of his truck and committed Suicide…. just some… of the detritus that our war machine has foisted on our dependable and rock solid armed forces…. I see them EVERY day… and talk to them…. and occasionally keep one from “just doing it”…. but there is an Iceberg “tip” that goes very deep below the surface in all who served….. driven partially by the “Support our Troops”.. rah rah rah…. and it is just Not talked about…. best regards and peace….. john ( Proud U.S. Army vet) :))
Thayne on March 16 at 8:49 p.m.
woamike, why do you insist on attacking people who post intelligent arguments? What was wrong with Diana’s comment? As far as I can tell she hit it on the head. People are all ready to support the troops when they’re healthy and have new clean uniforms. Where is the support when they come home with PTSD and other serious injuries. Also the last “war” was WWII. Everything after that was conflicts or police actions according to the guys sending troops into harms way while sitting safe and cozy far away from the fighting. And because I know you’ll comment, I too am a vet - 20 years USMC, honorable retirement. When it comes to attacking people who don’t share your views you are one of the leaders of the pack.
misjustice on March 16 at 8:50 p.m.
WHOA there woamike…Diana was only pointing out how easy it is to slap a sticker on an SUV, instead of doing the hard work required to ACTUALLY support our troops (of which she is one).
The hard work like what ChefGus does, down in the trenches everyday, cooking and serving nourishing food to Vets that are homeless. Or the like the hard work that nurses and doctors do in the VA hospital, treating Veterans and ministering to their medical needs. Or the work done by countless others which I do not know, at various social agencies helping Vets keep a roof over their heads or the heat on. Or the work done by the folks at Veterans Services for Spokane County; providing food vouchers, gas vouchers, and other sorely needed help to our local Veterans.
It’s EASY to slap a sticker on an SUV, more difficult to actually support the troops in a meaningful way; and to do work like Mr. Cesler does.
Kudos to you Mr. Cesler!
And thank you, From a Vet; U.S. Army…Misjustice
ChefGus/ John Olsen on March 17 at 5:02 a.m.
As of 04:30 this morning I do not have a fresh voice mail on my posted phone number for a new volunteer:))
….. Talk is Cheap and plentiful…..
Drop in to House of Charity today… dress in street gear and come have a nice corned beef and potatoes meal…. 10:45 service time, but you can come and have coffee and donuts anytime after 07:30….:)) gus