The Capital Area Woodworkers Guild makes urns for Unclaimed Veterans at Camp Butler

Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Camp Butler National Cemetery often receives Unclaimed Veterans. The National Cemetery Administration’s National Cemetery Scheduling Office conducts a thorough due diligence to research an Unclaimed Veteran’s circumstance and to locate a next of kin or a designated personal representative. If no next of kin or a designated personal representative, then the Veteran’s case file is forwarded to the National Cemetery that is closest to where the Veteran’s remains are currently being held for burial. Frequently, when Camp Butler National Cemetery accepts the remains of these Unclaimed Veterans, they have been cremated and are in a vinyl or cardboard box which is then interred in a columbarium or in the ground. With no next of kin or a designated personal representative, there is no option to place the vinyl or cardboard box in a formal urn. The Capital Area Woodworkers Guild has started building wooden urns for those Unclaimed Veterans. Christopher Webster, the Assistant Director at Camp Butler National Cemetery and Springfield Capital Area Woodworkers Guild member, Bob Cox talk about it with Joey McLaughlin on the WTAX Morning NewsWatch.  if you want to help with the effort the mailing address is –