Dignity Memorial® Network to Provide Military Burial for Homeless Portland Veteran

PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lincoln Memorial Park, a member of the Dignity Memorial network, will provide a funeral with full military honors on Jan. 25 at the Willamette National Cemetery for a homeless Portland veteran, the 1,000th burial provided through the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program.

Naval Petty Officer 2nd Class Stevenson L. Roy, a recently deceased homeless Vietnam veteran, will be buried at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 1:30 p.m.

"We are humbled to help provide the military honors that Mr. Roy deserves," said Jean-Christophe Aubry, market director for the Portland area Dignity Memorial providers. "It is a great privilege to show our community's deep gratitude for veterans like him who have given so much to our country."

The service begins at 1:30 p.m. with a procession from the gate of Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 Southeast Mount Scott Boulevard, Portland, Ore., to the cemetery shelter. The service will incorporate a 21-gun salute, the playing of "Taps" and the folding and presentation of the flag by representatives from the Oregon Honor Guard and the U.S. Navy.

Happy Valley Mayor Lori DeRemer will speak during the ceremony, as well.

According to the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs, approximately 130,000 veterans in the United States experience homelessness in a given year.

"Dignity Memorial providers saw a need in our communities to give veterans a proper and distinguished burial, and we are proud to fulfill that role," said Phil Jacobs, chief marketing officer for Service Corporation International (SCI), which owns the Dignity Memorial brand. "Mr. Roy's funeral service marks 1,000 veterans we have laid to rest through this program, and it speaks volumes about our commitment to providing this service to those who deserve it most."

The Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program has provided military burials and services for homeless and indigent veterans since 2000 and has worked with National Veterans Cemeteries around the country to provide more than 1,000 veterans with the recognition and honor they are due. The program will officially recognize Roy's burial as the 1,000th in its history.

Community members who wish to commemorate Roy's life and the sacrifice of veterans everywhere are asked to meet at Willamette National Cemetery at 1:30 p.m.

Affiliates of SCI own and operate the Dignity Memorial network of providers and the Homeless Veterans Burial Program, which works with funeral and cemetery providers in 35 metropolitan areas to arrange the preparation of the body, transportation, clothing, casket and coordination of the funeral service. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides the opening and closing of the gravesite, a grave liner, a headstone or marker and burial in a National Cemetery.

The Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program is one of many efforts by the Dignity Memorial network to honor and support the nation's veterans and active military. Other initiatives and programs include the Veterans Planning Guide, the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, educational veterans' seminars and special pricing for members of veterans service organizations.

About Lincoln Memorial Park and Dignity Memorial

Lincoln Memorial Park is a proud Dignity Memorial provider in Portland, Ore. The Dignity Memorial network of more than 1,800 funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers is North America's most trusted resource for funeral and memorialization services. Dignity Memorial providers offer an unmatched combination of products and locations serving families with care, integrity, respect and service excellence. For more information, visit http://www.lincolnmemorialpark.com

Media Contacts:

Crystal Friedrich
Funeral Home Manager
Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home
(503) 771-1117

Chris Gaitten
Firmani + Associates
[email protected] 
(206) 443-9357

SOURCE Dignity Memorial network