DVS News:
SANTA FE — The cremated remains of fifty-two deceased veterans were laid to rest at Thursday’s 2023 Forgotten Heroes Funeral at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.
The 50 men and two women were interred courtesy of the state’s Forgotten Heroes Burial Program established by the New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS), Bernalillo County, the New Mexico National Guard, and the Santa Fe National Cemetery to provide a military funeral at the cemetery for any honorably discharged deceased veteran who, upon their death, is unclaimed by family or friends.
Thursday’s funeral laid to rest the largest number of veterans in the history of the program, which began in 2010 as a collaborative effort by DVS and Bernalillo County to provide a military funeral for unclaimed deceased veterans from that county.
The Forgotten Heroes Funeral Program now includes participation from all 33 counties in the state. It is the only state-managed regularly-scheduled funeral in the nation for unclaimed deceased veterans.
Today’s funeral began with a 9 a.m. reading of the names at the Calvary Church in northeast Albuquerque. The urns were then placed into two hearses for the trip to the Santa Fe National Cemetery for the 11 a.m. funeral service. The hearses were escorted by motorcycle-riding officers and deputies from the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police, and the Santa Fe Police Department. Motorcycle-riding members of the American Legion Riders and the Patriot Guard Riders also joined the motorcade.
At the cemetery, DVS Acting Cabinet Secretary Brig. Gen. Jamison Herrera delivered the eulogy.
“All of you here today are here as family, to say good-bye…and with the help of veterans in attendance and the New Mexico National Guard members, to render the final salute these veterans deserve,” said Secretary Herrera. “It has been a long and uncertain path for the souls of these 52 fallen veterans. Let us all take comfort in knowing that their souls may now finally rest in eternal peace.”
Secretary Herrera then read aloud the 52 names, along with their service branch and rank. New Mexico Gold Star Mothers founding member Becky Christmas rang the cemetery’s memorial bell after the reading of each name.
Military honors were then rendered, beginning with the flag-fold ceremony, which was performed by two teams of New Mexico National Guard Honor Guard—one for each cart of 26 urns. A rifle volley was rendered by the Kirtland Air Force Base Honor Guard. Russ McDuffie from Buglers Across America performed Taps. One folded flag was then presented by New Mexico Army National Guard Col. Pia Romero to Bernalillo County Deputy Manager for General Services Lisa Sedillo White. The other flag was presented to State Senator Harold Pope, an Air Force veteran. Both accepted the flags on behalf of the citizens of New Mexico.
The urns were then taken by cemetery staff for documentation and in-ground burials in another part of the cemetery.
The Forgotten Heroes Funeral Program
The cremated remains of the following 52 veterans were interred with full military honors:
- 52 veterans
- 50 men
- 2 women
23 Army veterans
10 Navy
10 Air Force
8 Marines
1 Coast Guard
Branch/Rank/Name Years of Service Date of Death
(Doña Ana County)(6 veterans)
USA PFC William Riley Curtis 1972-1976 7/02020
USA SPC4 Howard Nicolas Duke 1966-1968 4/13/19
USAF Sgt Allie James Harderman, Jr. 1967-1972 2/26/17
USCG SOM2 Kelley Jack 1941-1945 11/25/19
USMC Sgt Ralph Floyd Jackson 1964-1973 9/05/20
USAF A2C Manuel Mena 1954-1957 11/09/16
(Otero County)(1)
USAF SSgt Joseph Catenia 1968-1973 8/19/21
(Valencia County)(1)
USMC Cpl Blake Bullett Scott 1976-1979 11/30/21
(Bernalillo County)(44)
USAF SMSgt Donald Ray Arnold 1975-2001 3/30/21
USA PFC Silas Lucas Barnes, Jr. 1949-1952 6/23/21
USMC Cpl Donald Reginald Baxter, Jr. 1969-1970 5/11/21
USN AD3 Renaud Belhomme 1977-1981 11/07/20
USAF AB Michael Gregory Berkowitz 1978-1979 4/16/22
USAF A1C Daniel James Brady 1974-1976 12/23/20
USMC PFC Norris Edward Brittain, Jr. 1968 5/16/21
USA SPC4 Albert Noel Cardona 1968-1970 4/06/22
USN SN George Henry Carter, Jr. 1968-1969 11/13/20
USA PFC Roy Raymond Christian 1948-1951 2/11/22
USA PFC Trinidad Joseph Cisneros 1966-1969 12/04/21
USA PFC Marie Louise Duncan 1976 8/30/21
USN MSSR Jason Lloyd Eastman 1977-1980 6/23/21
USN SR James Thomas Godwin II 1978 1/19/21
USA SPC4 John Robert Gregg 1984-1988 1/03/22
USMC PFC Robert Richard Henningsen 1955-1957 4/26/21
USN FN Norman Lawrence Hamilton 1964-1968 10/20/21
USA SPC4 Jimmy Dee Hebbard 1978-1983 8/11/21
USMC PFC Terry Lee Hoke 1960-1963 5/15/22
USA SGT Marco Antonio Ibarra 1971-1980 11/24/20
USMC Pvt David Joseph Isaac 1974 12/12/21
USAF SSgt Andrew Joseph Jackson 1956-1974 2/29/21
USA SPC5 Marshall David Karr 1962-1969 11/06/20
USA SPC4 Charles Auburn Klinhenn, Jr. 1971-1976 9/20/21
USN SA Bruce Langford 1980-1982 5/29/21
USA PV2 Diane Lane Macomber 1968-1970 7/20/20
USA PV2 John Manzanares 1968-1970 11/30/20
USA AN Samuel Martinez 1972-1974 2/24/22
USN SR Darrell Edward Moore 1976 11/17/20
USA SPC4 Jeffery John O’Connell 1977-1980 11/14/21
USA SGT Raul Herbert Perez 1962-1965 11/26/20
USA PFC Stephen Curtis Perkins 1972 10/23/20
USA SGT Carl Franklin Pheneger 1966-1969 12/21/21
USA SPC4 Arther James Rea, Jr. 1971-1973 11/23/21
USA SPC Larry Alan Rhodes 1973-1975 11/06/21
USA PFC Frank James Rychel 1963-1967 2/25/21
USA PFC Gene Michael Sanders 1967-1969 3/03/22
USAF A1C Herbert Joseph Schwartz 1962-1966 11/09/21
USAF A1C Ray Lewis St. Clar, Sr. 1955-1958 1/26/22
USN FC Peter Scott Temple 1958-1961 5/16/21
USA PFC Thomas Stephan Vancleave 1983-1985 2/03/21
USAF Sgt Christopher James Whyte 1968-1972 4/01/22
USN SN Curtis Wayne Willeford 1959-1960 9/28/21
USMC LCpl Karl Lee Zarkowski 1972-1976 3/16/22