CLARINDA, Iowa (KMTV) — You don’t have to look far in Clarinda to see how much the community appreciates its veterans.
American and POW flags are proudly flown in front of the businesses and, in the town square, you can find a statue and plaque honoring some of the town's well-known soldiers.
But there are a few — just over a dozen — who haven’t gotten the same honors.
“They died while residents of the hospital. Some of the things that happened in that era and that time, I think they never got the military honors they were due,” said Mike Rowley.
These veterans, who served in the Civil War, Spanish American War and World War II, weren’t all from Clarinda. They came to the town to seek treatment at what became known as Clarinda State Hospital. They were dealing with issues like Alzheimer’s, PTSD, and other mental health issues that were perceived very differently from how we know them today.
“There were a lot of different names put on the hospital. Today they would be highly inappropriate; 'The Clarinda Asylum,' the 'Asylum for the Insane.' It gives you a little bit of a glimpse into the thought process of the time,” said Rowley.
It isn’t known exactly why these vets weren’t buried with honors but now a group of volunteers, known as the Missing in America Project, is hoping to right that wrong and give the veterans and their families, the recognition they deserve.
“What we forget about sometimes isn’t just the veterans themselves but the effect it has on their family. It is a very large price to pay that all veterans give to us Americans,” said Rowley.
On July 22 Rowley and other volunteers will meet the families of nine of the veterans for a special ceremony honoring their service.
They couldn’t track down families for all of the veterans and Rowley is hoping that the community at-large will show up to show their support for these forgotten veterans.
“What we do isn’t that hard, what sets us apart and those volunteers is they are willing to do it. Doing something isn’t hard it's just about taking the step to actually do it,” said Rowley.
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