Thanks to the help and success of the Unmarked Grave Program through the Last Post Fund, various unmarked graves now have military markers in Mountain View Cemetery.
Glenn Miller, President of the Alberta Branch of the Last Post Fund, says that any veterans who lie in unmarked graves for more than five years across the country are able to get military markers through the fund, either upright, flat, bronze or whatever is specific to a particular cemetery.
“I am honoured to be able to share the success of the Unmarked Grave Program of the Last Post Fund to honour and remember the men and women who have served Canada in a permanent way,” says Miller.
Once the markers have been placed, Veterans Affairs Canada will take over maintaining them should anything happen, like the marker breaks or if in 100 years the public can’t read the markers, Veterans Affairs Canada will replace them.
Around 600 unmarked graves are funded every year through Veterans Affairs Canada.
According to Miller, the program’s primary mission is to make sure that no veteran is denied a dignified funeral.
“A burial, a marker and a time of death, some families just can’t afford that and that’s where we step in,” says Miller.
When it comes to finding unmarked graves, Miller says it comes down to research, looking into cemetery plots, reading obituaries, and so on.
More information about the Last Post Fund’s Unmarked Graves Program, including eligibility can be found on the Last Post Fund’s website.