New Mexico: Ten military veterans get a proper burial at long last

From Carlsbad Current-Argus: Ten military veterans get a proper burial at long last
SANTA FE — Ten solitary men who served their country, including a soldier from World War I, were buried Tuesday in a mass funeral.

"It's a privilege to claim these forgotten warriors as our own," said Gov. Susana Martinez, who gave the eulogy.

In some cases, the remains of these veterans went unclaimed for decades.

One of the 10 was a retired Army colonel whose military status approached that of legend.

His name was John Garnett Coughlin, and he received the Distinguished Service Cross for uncommon bravery in the Korean War. The Distinguished Service Cross is the second-highest award for valor in combat, behind only the Medal of Honor.

Coughlin, who also served in World II, died in 1987. He was 79 years old, and his unclaimed body was cremated.

For years, his ashes sat in an urn at the Berardinelli Funeral Home in Santa Fe. Separate urns at Berardinelli held the remains of the other nine servicemen.

Another was Army Pvt. John L. Craft, who was born in 1901 and as a teenager served in World War I. Craft died in 1983.

But the most belated burial was for Donald Claire Smith, a sailor during World War II. He died in 1975, when Gov. Martinez was a sophomore in high school.

The 10 veterans' lives may have been painful and lonely at the end, but on this balmy autumn afternoon they received a stirring sendoff.

About 150 people attended their funeral. One was retired Maj. Gen. Frank J. Schober Jr.,

who lives in Santa Fe.

Schober said he was stunned that a soldier of Coughlin's accomplishments had somehow died without anyone seeming to notice.

"How does that happen?" Schober asked.

Even a hero such as Coughlin, it seems, can slip through the cracks for a generation. His burial came almost a quarter-century after his death.

Martinez said all 10 were brave men whose contributions were finally and fittingly recognized in a public service.

"Today, they receive the honor they deserve," she said.

The funeral was part of the Forgotten Heroes Burial Program. It provides for a full military burial of the cremated remains of veterans whose bodies were not claimed by relatives.

It is a combined effort of the Missing in America Project, the Albuquerque office of the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs, the New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services and the Santa Fe National Cemetery.

The ashes of all 10 were buried on the east side of the cemetery, said Cliff Shields, the director.

This was the second such mass burial service for him. Sixteen veterans who died in Bernalillo County and whose bodies went unclaimed were buried last year at Santa Fe National Cemetery.

There is a saying about those in military service and others who die for their country: "All gave some. Some gave all."

The 10 honored Tuesday were in another category — almost forgotten. But, at long last, the country they served made sure they were remembered.

Santa Fe Bureau Chief Milan Simonich can be reached at msimonich@tnmnp.com or 505-820-6898. His blog is at nmcapitolreport.com.

The 10 veterans who were buried Tuesday

--John Garnett Coughlin. Born in 1908 in Bisbee, Ariz. Died in 1987. Recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for valor in the Korean War. He also served in World War II.

--Jackson Evert Shirley. Born in 1918 in Williams, Ariz. Died in 1983. Recipient of the Silver Star, third-highest medal for valor in combat. Served in World War II and the Korean War.

--Edward Grimm Lucius. Born in 1916 in Chicago. Died in 1979. Served in World War II.

--Donald Claire Smith. Born in 1901 in Roswell. Died in 1975. Served in World War II.

--Milton Vincin Burroughs, born in 1920 in Jeffersonville, Ind. Died in 1983. Served in World War II.

--Gerald Edwin Huber, born in 1921 in Los Alamos. Died in 2009. Served in World War II.

--Richard Landrum Thomas. Born in 1917 in Washington, D.C. Died in 2010. Served in World War II.

--John L. Craft. Born in 1901 in Bonne Terree, Mo. Died in 1983. Served in World War I.

--Charles Thomas Stewart. Born in 1936 in New Boston, Ohio. Died in 1990. Served in Korea.

--Henry D. Nichols. Born in 1918 in Pleasantville, N.Y. Died in 1981. Served in World War II.