Last Post Fund marks veterans’ graves across the province
By Glenn Miller Last Post Fund, Alberta Branch
Photo Courtesy of Last Post Fund
Research done over the winter months by volunteer members of the Last Post Fund on unmarked veterans graves has led to orders being placed for headstones that will be placed throughout the summer months and into the fall.
The installation of an estimated 140 military markers on previously unmarked veterans’ graves is anticipated over the course of the next months.
“Our volunteers are looking forward to hosting a number of commemorative ceremonies in communities across Alberta as markers are installed during this summer and fall, as COVID conditions allow,” says Hans Brinks, Alberta branch president of the Last Post Fund.
The mission of the Last Post Fund is to ensure that no veteran is denied a dignified funeral and burial, as well as a military gravestone, due to insufficient funds at time of death. In addition to delivering the funeral and burial program on behalf of Veterans Affairs Canada, the Last Post Fund supports other initiatives aimed at commemorating Canadian veterans.
These include the Unmarked Grave Program, through which the Last Post Fund provides military markers for eligible veterans who have been deceased for over five years and lie in unmarked graves. Since the inception of this program in 1996, the graves of 6,946 veterans have been properly marked across the country. Last year alone, thanks to researchers, 605 markers were installed under the Unmarked Grave Program.
The Indigenous Veterans Initiative, launched in March of 2019, focuses specifically on Indigenous communities, while the newly launched Lost Veterans Initiative aims to support volunteer researchers for unmarked veterans’ graves.
The Last Post Fund is requesting that Albertans visiting the gravesite of a departed loved one take note of any unmarked graves they may note at the cemetery – including those of family relations who served our country. Call 1-800-465-7113 or visit The Last Post Fund website (lastpostfund.ca) for more information.