CAMP WILLIAMS - Marci Stevens could hardly contain her emotions Saturday as she and her husband accompanied the remains of 22 previously unidentified veterans to their final resting spot at the Utah Veterans Memorial Park.
"It gives me chills to think of the stories of these men's lives," she said. "It's kind of heartbreaking to think of what might have happened and how they somehow got lost in the shuffle."
Roger Graves, the Utah coordinator for the nationwide Missing in America Project, said the men are finally receiving the respect and honor they deserve.
"It is an honor to be here," he said.
Local volunteers pull out all the stops for servicemen and servicewomen who die without loved ones near and whose remains sometimes sit unidentified and unclaimed on mortuary shelves for long periods of time.
"It's sad, but it is a fact of our lives," Graves said. "Some people die alone."
The group actively searches for living family members, but sometimes efforts are unrequited and the duty of burying falls to the organization.
The Missing in America Project gives the veterans proper rites at their burial, including a rifle volley, playing of taps and the ceremonial folding of an American flag for each veteran. One flag from each branch of the service is then presented to a predetermined member of the audience, sometimes dignitaries, and always with respect.
To date, the project has visited 1,795 funeral homes across the country and has identified and interred 2,441 veterans, along with the 22 laid to rest Saturday.
"We care about these people," Stevens said. "It is important that we give them the honor they deserve, acknowledge their life and acknowledge their service."
Those buried in Utah on Saturday died in Utah at different times, as far back as 1996 and as recently as last year. But all of them served in the U.S. military - Army, Navy or Air Force - and during different times in history. None have been claimed by survivors, and many other veterans are still missing, from historical accounts of their deaths.
The Missing in America Project, a nonprofit organization run entirely with donations, aims to locate, identify and inter unclaimed cremated remains of American veterans, of which there are believed to be up to 400,000 throughout the country.
"We are here to honor their decision to serve, their decision to sacrifice," Graves said.
Stevens' father served in the military during the Korean War, and she grew up learning patriotic songs and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in school. Even still, her "heart beats a little faster" when she can participate in or view acts of patriotism like she witnessed Saturday.
"It's a big deal to me," Stevens said, adding that joining the Patriot Guard Riders has been rewarding. "We're ordinary people. I'm just a grandma. But to be able to do something meaningful in our spare time is a great opportunity."
The guard is called into action for various events, including military rituals and funerals, where they carry American flags and ride with pride, Stevens said.
"Some think it is sad that they don't have anyone," Graves said. "I beg to differ. They have all of us. We are all their family."
To make a donation to the project, visit www.miap.us.
Email: wleonard@deseretnews.com
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