Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
RIVERTON — A unique funeral Monday for 10 soldiers, two Marines, two sailors and two airmen pointed to the number of individuals who die, unknown to family, and are forgotten until extraordinary measures are taken to identify them as veterans and bury them with military honors.
Ronald Harold Hester was among them. His older brother Robert could be another.
Ronald Hester, born in 1952, served in the Navy from 1970 to 1974. His disconnect with family began when his father died in 1984. "He just became a loner. He dropped off the face of the planet. The last time I spoke to him was about four years ago, and he seemed OK," said his younger brother, Randall Hester.
The funeral homes and the mortuaries are to be commended for hanging on to these men and women for as long as they do, because they don't have to. That is their choice.
–Roger Graves
Ronald Hester died two years ago, but his family was never found nor notified, said his stepmother, Miriam Hester. Then they read in the media several days ago that Ronald's remains, which have been in the custody of a mortuary since his death, were among those that would be remembered at a group funeral with full military honors on Monday at the Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park adjacent to Camp Williams.
Six members of Ronald's family were at the service to receive the remains and a flag presented by honor guard representatives.
Linking Ronald's name to military roles was accomplished by researchers with the Missing in America Project, which scours death records and compares them with military records with the object of finding veterans who died without being known to family. Since the project began in 2006, the group has identified and buried 1,218 veterans, "plus 16," said state coordinator Roger Graves, referring to those honored on Monday.
"The funeral homes and the mortuaries are to be commended for hanging on to these men and women for as long as they do, because they don't have to. That is their choice," Graves said.
The remains of the veterans recognized Monday have been in the care of Deseret Mortuary.
Hester was the only veteran honored at the funeral who had family present. Of the other 15, who will be buried at the Utah veterans cemetery, the Missing in America Project has found relatives for only two. They will receive funeral flags sent by project volunteers.
Volunteers also make sure the deceased veterans are surrounded by military "family" when they are buried. Monday's funeral included the participation of at least 75 members of the Patriot Guard and other veterans motorcycle groups. Utah National Guard Brig. Gen. Michael Liechty spoke at the funeral, flanked by representatives of Utah's congressional delegation.
I'm joining it. Flat out. This is my cause. Every one of those people out there has a family member that's alive.
–Randall Hester
Randall Hester retired from the Army in 1999 after 21 years of service. He said he handed a lot of flags to families of fallen soldiers during his time in uniform. Being on the receiving end was "sobering," he said. "It felt good." His plans for his brother's ashes: "He's going in the Manti LaSal (National Forest) and be scattered under a big quakie with his name carved in it."
Flanked by other, tearful family members, Randall Hester said he doesn't know what efforts were made to try and find the family after Ronald died. He's not blaming anybody for that, but no one in the family was happy learning about Ronald's death coincidentally, and two years after the fact.
"There are family members out there," he said of all of the veterans honored on Monday. But now that he knows there is an organized effort to connect forgotten veterans with their family and a proper funeral, "I'm joining it. Flat out. This is my cause," he said. "Every one of those people out there has a family member that's alive."
That includes Richard, the oldest of the Hester children. Like his younger brother Ronald, Richard has also dropped off the radar. The family has had reports that he, too, has died, but there is no confirmation — only the hope the family can also know what has become of the other missing veteran in the family.
Email: sfidel@ksl.com
