thedrifter
05-18-09, 05:57 AM
Remains of soldiers found in Tucson reburied
May. 17, 2009 03:07 PM
Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. - The remains of nearly 60 soldiers from the Civil and Indian wars have been reburied two years after they were dug up in downtown Tucson to make way for a new court complex.
The remains were reburied Saturday at the Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sierra Vista amid booming canons, prancing Calvary horses and a band dressed in Civil War garb playing 150-year-old music on replica instruments. More than 120 local soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines saluted each of dozens of wooden coffins and folded the flags draped over them.
"They have served our country with acts of patriotism that should be remembered forever," Gov. Jan Brewer said during the funeral. "We're forever indebted to never forget
their sacrifice."
Archaeologists exhumed the remains in 2007 in an area that was once home to Tucson's first military cemetery. Some bodies were left behind when the graveyard was relocated in the late 1800s.
Officials believe the bones belong to U.S. troops dispatched from California to drive Confederate soldiers out of the Tucson area in 1862, and to some stationed at Camp Lowell to protect frontier settlers from Apache attacks.
"These young men laid down their lives a long time ago so we could live in this country and this state," Brewer said after the ceremony. "I think it's important that we interred today the heroes of yesterday."
Retiree Joe Smith, 69, a Civil War re-enactor and a former Army reservist from Palominas, spent two years building dozens of wooden coffins for the remains at his own expense.
"I just thought it was something that should be done out of respect for the soldiers," he said.
The federal Department of Veterans Affairs provided rows of military gravestones resembling those used in the 19th century. Construction contractors and gardening groups fenced and landscaped the area, and dozens of Civil War re-enactors turned out for the final salute.
The total estimated price tag for the funeral, including donated time, materials and labor, is about $300,000.
The service was an example of the support shown to soldiers, both past and present, Sierra Vista Mayor Bob Strain said.
"With Sierra Vista being a military town, it emphasizes the cultural connection this community and this part of Arizona has to the military," Strain said.
Dan Ferguson, 42, a former Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who served in Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, said the soldiers deserved a proper burial, even if they died almost 150 years ago.
"Every veteran made a commitment that they would give their life for this country and, in return, they would be properly buried," he said. "While these people have been dead for 150 years, we still made that commitment."
Ellie
May. 17, 2009 03:07 PM
Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. - The remains of nearly 60 soldiers from the Civil and Indian wars have been reburied two years after they were dug up in downtown Tucson to make way for a new court complex.
The remains were reburied Saturday at the Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sierra Vista amid booming canons, prancing Calvary horses and a band dressed in Civil War garb playing 150-year-old music on replica instruments. More than 120 local soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines saluted each of dozens of wooden coffins and folded the flags draped over them.
"They have served our country with acts of patriotism that should be remembered forever," Gov. Jan Brewer said during the funeral. "We're forever indebted to never forget
their sacrifice."
Archaeologists exhumed the remains in 2007 in an area that was once home to Tucson's first military cemetery. Some bodies were left behind when the graveyard was relocated in the late 1800s.
Officials believe the bones belong to U.S. troops dispatched from California to drive Confederate soldiers out of the Tucson area in 1862, and to some stationed at Camp Lowell to protect frontier settlers from Apache attacks.
"These young men laid down their lives a long time ago so we could live in this country and this state," Brewer said after the ceremony. "I think it's important that we interred today the heroes of yesterday."
Retiree Joe Smith, 69, a Civil War re-enactor and a former Army reservist from Palominas, spent two years building dozens of wooden coffins for the remains at his own expense.
"I just thought it was something that should be done out of respect for the soldiers," he said.
The federal Department of Veterans Affairs provided rows of military gravestones resembling those used in the 19th century. Construction contractors and gardening groups fenced and landscaped the area, and dozens of Civil War re-enactors turned out for the final salute.
The total estimated price tag for the funeral, including donated time, materials and labor, is about $300,000.
The service was an example of the support shown to soldiers, both past and present, Sierra Vista Mayor Bob Strain said.
"With Sierra Vista being a military town, it emphasizes the cultural connection this community and this part of Arizona has to the military," Strain said.
Dan Ferguson, 42, a former Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who served in Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, said the soldiers deserved a proper burial, even if they died almost 150 years ago.
"Every veteran made a commitment that they would give their life for this country and, in return, they would be properly buried," he said. "While these people have been dead for 150 years, we still made that commitment."
Ellie