The Nevada Veterans Coalition conducts unaccompanied services on the fourth Thursday of each month to ensure every veteran interred at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery receives the same honors as those buried with relatives in attendance. The next ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 27.
The ceremonies include a chaplain-led service, a three-volley rifle salute, the folding of the flag, the playing of taps and “Amazing Grace,” and an escort to the interment site. The Patriot Guard Riders parade the colors from the columbarium wall to the pavilion to begin each service.
The Veterans Coalition honored 10 veterans during the July 23 unaccompanied service. They were (U.S. Army) Michael Anderson, PV1; Walter Baker (rank not listed); Paul Burke, SP4; Alan Hobeck, SP4; (U.S. Navy) Richard Cotter, CS3; Raymond Baldwin, ME3; Thomas Taylor, SMT2; (U.S. Marine Corps) Dell Moon, CPL; Ronnie Thrash, PFC; and (U.S. Air Force) Donald Lindstrom, SSGT.
The coalition created the unaccompanied program in 2008 to stand in for families who are unable to attend or who were never notified of a veteran’s death. The cemetery regularly receives cremated remains from across the country, often sent by distant relatives contacted by mortuaries seeking a final resting place.
The Nevada Veterans Coalition Honor Guard is made up of volunteer veterans and nonveterans who provide military-style services for all interments at the cemetery. For unaccompanied veterans, the coalition asks community members to attend and serve as family.
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