Veneran Urns

Subject: Potential News Story - Camp Butler National Cemetery - Donated Urns for Unclaimed Veterans

05.13.2025

Good afternoon,

I am the Assistant Director at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield, IL.

There are many Veterans who die alone or linger unburied due to their family situations or other circumstances. These Veterans are unclaimed.

Often, Camp Butler National Cemetery receives these Unclaimed Veterans from a coroner’s office, A Veteran Service Organization (VSO), a funeral home or perhaps via the USPS from some other state agency. The National Cemetery Administration’s (NCA) National Cemetery Scheduling Office (NCSO) conducts a thorough due diligence to research an Unclaimed Veteran’s circumstance and to locate a next of kin (NOK) or a designated personal representative (DPR). If the NCSO is not able to locate any NOK or DPR, then the Veteran’s case file is forwarded to the National Cemetery that is closest to where the Veteran’s remains are currently being held for burial.

Most often when Camp Butler National Cemetery accepts the remains of these Unclaimed Veterans, they have been cremated and are in a vinyl or cardboard box which is then inurned in a columbarium or inurned in the ground. With no NOK or DPR, there is no option to place the vinyl or cardboard box in a formal urn.

Three weeks ago, I was contacted by Mr. Bob Cox who is a member of the Springfield Capital Area Woodworkers Guild (CAWG). Mr. Cox requested a meeting to discuss making and donating wooden urns specifically to place the remains of Unclaimed Veterans in so that they are honored and never forgotten.

(Please note: When Camp Butler National Cemetery receives an Unclaimed Veteran, a committal service with full military honors is rendered for the Veteran.)

After our meeting, Mr. Cox met with the CAWG President, Mr. Mike Griffin, before presenting his idea to their board. After unanimous approval, Mr. Cox and the CAWG rounded up donations (i.e., white oak wood and dollar donations) to begin this project.

For approximately 10-hours, 15 CAWG members met in Mr. Cox’s wood shop and built 30 urns to donate to Camp Butler.

Today, Mr. Cox and Mr. Griffin delivered those 30 urns to Camp Butler National Cemetery.

I cannot express how thankful we are at Camp Butler National Cemetery to have this level of community support for our cemetery and for our Veterans.

Camp Butler has a rich heritage in Sangamon County and the Springfield metropolitan area. I believe that this story should be shared with our local community.

Contact information for CAWG:

Mr. Bob Cox, CAWG, 217-899-9954, coxy23@gmail.com

Mr. Mike Griffin, CAWG, 217-855-9554, mgriffin@gtci.us

Photos from today are attached – May 13, 2025.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. It would be a privilege to discuss the CAWG and their efforts in supporting Camp Butler National Cemetery.

Best regards, Christopher Webster

Christopher Webster

Assistant Director

Camp Butler National Cemetery Complex

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Office: 217-492-4070