Oregon Honors Unclaimed Veterans at Willamette National Cemetery

The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs honored nine individuals — eight veterans and one dependent family member — in an interment ceremony on Wednesday, October 22, at Willamette National Cemetery.

The cremated remains, which had been stored for decades in the Oregon State Hospital after going unclaimed by family members and loved ones, were finally laid to rest with full military honors in the hallowed ground of Willamette National Cemetery.

The veterans honored last week were born between 1880 and 1911 and served in both the U.S. Army and Navy. At least five were World War I veterans — young men who left farms, factories and small towns across America to serve in the Great War. Among them were native Oregonians as well as men who came here from as far as Nebraska, New York, Colorado, California, and even the Philippines. Their dates of death ranged from 1932 to 1966.

“This ceremony was a deeply meaningful reminder of the debt we owe to all who have worn our nation’s uniform,” said Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels, director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs. “Even when time and circumstance separate us from their stories, our duty remains — to remember, to honor, and to ensure that every veteran is laid to rest with the dignity they earned through their service.”

“For more than 140 years, the caregivers at Oregon State Hospital have strived to treat every patient with the care and humanity we all deserve,” said Jim Diegel, interim superintendent of the Oregon State Hospital. “These men have now been laid to rest with the dignity and honor befitting those who have served our country. Knowing they are now seen, recognized and their long silent voices finally heard means they are no longer forgotten.”

Each of the eight veterans honored last week served with courage and distinction. Among them were:

• Ray Carpenter, a member of the Oregon Army National Guard who served in World War I as a powderman.
• Filipe Castillon, born in the Philippines, who served honorably in both the U.S. Army and Navy.
• Guy Earl Cramer, a U.S. Navy veteran whose service details have been lost to time.
• August Chris Hansen, a Nebraska-born farmer and World War I veteran who tried to reenlist at the start of World War II (at age 49).
• Kenneth Wesley Hugunin, who joined the U.S. Navy at just 15 years old.
• John Jacob Jordan, a World War I veteran who served in France and later sought to reenlist during World War II (at age 53).
• Thomas O’Connor, a San Francisco native who served in an Army engineering battalion.
• Earl Eugene Pollock, a U.S. Army veteran who served with honor during World War I.

This interment was part of an ongoing partnership between the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Oregon State Hospital to identify and properly honor unclaimed veterans once in state care. Together with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration, the agencies are ensuring that all who served receive the dignity, respect, and remembrance they earned.

For more information about the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs and its programs for veterans and their families, visit www.oregon.gov/odva.