CANTON, Ga.,None — Though they served their country, the remains of thousands of American military veterans lie unclaimed and forgotten.
A new nationwide project finds, identifies and inters those remains for military funerals.
Channel 2's Diana Davis was at services for six local veterans at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton on Monday.
Each soldier got a traditional funeral with a 21-gun salute and a bugler playing Taps.
The Missing in America Project started on the West Coast when hundreds of veterans remains were discovered forgotten on the shelves of mortuaries and funeral homes. They were unclaimed by families or loved ones.
Guy Webb, a veteran of Korean and Vietnam, is the coordinator of the project in Georgia.
"We decided this was the one last thing they deserve. Some were wealthy, some were indigent. It's not our job to judge them or their families," said Guy Webb, a veteran of Korea and Vietnam and is the coordinator of the project in Georgia.
Some of the remains discovered across the country date back to the 1890's but most are more recent.
The project aims to check every mortuary, funeral home and cemetery in the U.S.
"We can still give them that one last honor they deserve, a military funeral and a nice place to rest," Webb said.
The Missing in America Project said that often families can't be found. When they are, most are thankful.
"We've had some of them cry when they see where their loved one is going to be. It means a lot to us, it means a lot to them," Webb said.
Since the project started in 2006 nearly 1,600 veterans have been given proper burials.