Group to offer funeral and burial services to homeless, indigent veterans

SOUTH BEND – On any given night in the United States, more than 100,000 military veterans sleep on the street. They sleep in doorways and on docks, under bridges and above sewer grates, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Broke and estranged from friends and family, many of these formerly distinguished men and women receive no recognition for their service when they die. "Unfortunately, individuals who experience homelessness normally have no financial resources and no family connections," said Lani Vivirito, chief program officer at the Center for the Homeless, "and they get no funeral service at all." In St. Joseph County, at least, that is about to change. Through his group "Miller’s Vets," Robert Miller Sr., a retired county judge, plans to offer free funeral and burial services to the county’s homeless and indigent military veterans. Designated "The Last Salute," the services will include full military honors, from the ceremonial folding and presentation of the American flag to the solemn playing of "Taps." Members of Miller’s Vets, a drill team consisting of homeless veterans in South Bend, will perform the honors under Miller’s direction. "I can’t bear the thought of a veteran not getting a proper burial," Miller said. "It’s disgusting from my viewpoint." A group effort A former lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves, Miller founded Miller’s Vets to instill in the area’s homeless veterans a sense of pride and purpose. "The Last Salute" is an extension of that effort, Miller said, a way to ensure that those veterans not only achieve dignity in life but maintain it in death. To bring his vision to life, Miller, who served in World War II and the Korean War, has enlisted the help of individuals involved in the funeral and burial businesses as well as the county. Three local funeral homes – Palmer, Welsheimer and Kaniewski – have agreed to donate their services, Miller said. Upon a veteran’s death, all have agreed to remove the body, prepare it for burial, and then take it to the Center for the Homeless — where funeral services will take place — and to the cemetery. "Judge Miller felt it was a noble cause," K.R. Palmer, co-owner of Palmer Funeral Homes, said of his company’s involvement in the project. "He thought veterans in a tough time could use some help, and he was doing his part and he wanted someone from the funeral home side to do their part, and we thought it was a good cause." An Amish craftsman, meanwhile, has agreed to build caskets for the veterans. The poplar boxes will come unassembled, Miller said, and his veterans will put them together using wood glue and pins. The caskets will cost $347 each, Miller said. He plans to pay for the first one and solicit donations for the rest as needed. A final resting place Finally, the county’s Board of Commissioners recently approved a memorandum of understanding between the county and the Center for the Homeless establishing a veterans burial site at Portage Manor Cemetery. The site, off Portage Avenue south of Cleveland Road, consists of 60 adjoining plots along with a small patch of land for a memorial marker, likely an archway of some sort, Miller said. The county has agreed to lease the land to the center for a period of 99 years and, furthermore, to cover all burial costs. The cost of the lease has been set at $1 per year. "They’re gonna dig that grave, set a vault ... and then after that they’re going to get the casket in and close that lid," Miller said. "So we got the best of all worlds here." Lou Ann Hill, who manages the cemetery, said leasing the land so cheaply "was the logical thing to do to provide a proper burial for the indigent veterans of this county." More than 1,000 people are buried at Portage Manor Cemetery, Hill said, though how many served in the military is not known. "Our records go back to 1932," she said, "but they don’t really distinguish whether the person was a veteran." The county has a small but adequate budget to pay for burials, Hill said. But if for some reason it cannot afford the service, Miller’s Vets has agreed to pick up the tab. According to the Veterans Administration, about one-third of the adult homeless population in the United States have served their country in the armed forces. About 35 to 40 of the residents at the Center for the Homeless are veterans, Vivirito said, depending on the night. The center typically houses about 140 adults. Staff writer Erin Blasko: eblasko@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6187