12 unclaimed veterans and two spouses were laid to rest at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in a ceremony on Friday. 

These unclaimed veterans and spouses were first honored at the Hamilton’s Funeral and After Life Services in Des Moines before getting a motorcycle escort to the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel for a ceremony.  

Lanae Strovers started this initiative by  finding old urns from veterans that had no family for a burial and giving them their arrangement. Strovers said her first service was in 2018, and now there has been one every year since. 

“ I knew we had to ensure that these men and women who had served our country were taken care of and given the military honors they deserved. One of the things I wanted to focus on this year is that these are people, they are not just urns. They’re not just cremated remains, but they are people who lived entire lives.

Pictures from the events and names of the veterans will be linked here.