Unclaimed Korean War Veteran laid to rest at Ft. Jackson National Cemetery

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — An unclaimed Korean War Veteran was laid to rest at Fort Jackson National Cemetery this morning — joining the over 11,000 other soldiers buried there.

Ninety-five-years-old at the time of his death, PFC Robert Hysner was born in Rochester, New York in 1928.

He passed away at a nursing home in Sumter County, and is considered an unclaimed Veteran — having outlived his relatives. And likewise, no photograph is available of Hysner to share.

But according to records, he served for three years in the Army as a Communications Specialist before being honorably discharged in 1951.

However, unclaimed does not mean overlooked or unworthy of a military burial.

Retired Army Specialist Ginger Graham is the Chief of Staff for the VFW Department of South Carolina.

“Your first thought when you come to one of these services is sadness. Because you know that there’s no family. He was 95 and his family pre-deceased him, but when you step on these hallowed grounds, and you see all the other officers and branches come together, it’s just heartwarming. I feel blessed to be a part of the VFW and the American Legion is also here. We’re just honored to represent him and I think I speak for everyone in saying that our hearts are full knowing that we represented him today,” Graham says.

And for Retired Army 1st Sergeant Ed Hogue, it’s a reminder of our own mortality.

“The people out here get emotional, because they’re Veterans or their families are Veterans. And when they come out here, you see a brother that’s going, and nobody here, and you worry about yourself. Is anybody going to show up for me?  Probably not. You always hope that somebody comes to see you off, and it is a good thing for us to do that. It is an emotional time out here,” says Hogue.

Dunbar Funeral Home provided burial services for Hysner and other unclaimed Veterans through its “Homeless Veterans Burial Program.”

As the Veterans reminded everyone, not a single plot  at Fort Jackson has been purchased. They’ve all been earned. There are now 15 unclaimed Veterans laid to rest.