Missing in America Project: A final search for veterans long forgotten



They fought on the shores of Normandy - in the jungles of Vietman - in the dusty deserts of Iraq - and in the unforgiving mountains of Afghanistan.

Sometimes it`s easy to forget their sacrifices. And sometimes - some are forgotten all together.

But one man has made it his mission to remind us.

Lee Brown is the coordinator for the Missing in America Project, a group tasked with searching for veterans who were never laid to rest.

Working side-by-side with funeral directors like Brian Flowers, Brown pours through old records and tries to identify unclaimed, cremated remains that could be American veterans.

Through an identification process, Brown finds remains that may belong to a possible veteran. Then he sends any leads he finds to the Veterans Administration. The VA then determines if the remains belong to a service member that is granted a proper burial.

“I want to make sure they are not forgotten,” Brown said. “The ones I deal with, there is no family.”

Brown believes he has processed 10,000 names nationwide. More than 200 veterans’ remains have been identified in Washington state alone.

Having served three years in the army, not all of the people Brown comes across are strangers.

“I guess they kind of become mine,” Brown says. “Especially if you find someone you know, it’s hard sometimes.”

Brown’s main drive:

No one who has fought for freedom should ever be forgotten.

“They need to be taken care of,” Brown says.

The group is always looking for more volunteers. To help out, click here for more information.