While the following article has nothing to do with photography or much to do with police violating our First Amendment rights, it is an important cause being spearheaded by a friend of mine, Charles Buford, so I’m doing my part in getting the word out.
A Miami veteran’s organization is asking the public for help in burying homeless veterans whose bodies have gone unclaimed in the morgue, including one veteran who was found beaten to death behind a bus bench last November.
Make A Wish Veterans, an organization founded by disabled Vietnam veteran Charles Buford, has already shipped the body of one murdered homeless veteran back to his family in Salt Lake City.
But right now there are four unclaimed bodies who deserve a proper funeral and burial, said Buford.
“All of these veterans were homeless,” he said. “Two were killed and three died of natural causes.”
The remaining veterans were Ernest Holmon, who was found murdered behind a bus bench, and John Joseph Sweet, Henry Winger and Pedro DeAguero.
The fifth veteran was Todd Hill, who who was killed in December while he slept on a bus bench and shipped back to his family in Salt Lake City.
Besides providing a proper burial for these veterans, Make A Wish Veterans plans to help existing homeless veterans off the streets by providing housing for them.
“We need to get our veterans out of harm’s way,” said Buford.
Make A Wish Veterans has already scheduled a funeral for the veterans at 11 a.m. on Jan. 24 at the American Legion Post 29, 6445 NE 7th Ave.
“We invite the general public to attend,” he said.
The burial is planned for Jan. 26th at the South Florida VA National Cemetery in Lake Worth.
To donate, click on www.vetsunited.org and click on “donate” at the top of the page or send a check to Make A Wish Veterans, 6445 NE 7th Ave. And if you do donate, tell them you read about it here.
More articles on the subject.
Murder of former marine sparks anxiety among the homeless
Veterans demand help for homeless vets after deadly beatings