What is meant by the term “Forgotten Veterans”?
When used by the Old Guard Riders, the term “Forgotten” refers to three categories of American’s veterans. 1.) The veterans in nursing homes, hospitals, prisons and other institutions where visitation is the only personal contact these individuals have. Some of these veterans have families that come to visit, but many are alone and forgotten. 2.) The veterans living in shelters, parks, doorways, and alleys across America. Of the roughly 200,000 homeless veterans, very few are visible to the average American going about his/her daily business. They are “out of sight, out of mind.” They have become American veterans lost somewhere in the system and forgotten from society. 3.) The recently discovered remains of hundreds of veterans found in jars and cans on the “Unclaimed Cremations” shelves of crematories, mortuaries and other institutions.
