Joint Operation Mariposa creates resting spot for veteran's ashes

Many people around the world, for a variety of reasons, ask their remains be cremated as an alternative to burial in a coffin.

Joint Operation Mariposa member Dave Williams, a prominent Plains artist, listened to a veteran recently who said he would prefer cremation.

And for a very good reason.

“I was talking with a World War II veteran a while ago, and he told me of being trapped in rubble for several days following a battle,” Williams said. “He spent those days staring into the lifeless eyes of a buddy who was killed in the battle, both of them trapped.”

William said the veteran did not want to be trapped in a coffin after his death.

“That story made me think we need to have a respectful place of interment for the ashes of those who make that request,” he said. “And the guy said he didn’t want to end up in an urn on a garage shelf either.”

With that idea in mind, the Joint Operation Mariposa group, which is known for helping veterans in a variety of ways, embarked on a mission to purchase and install such a place in the Plains Cemetery, which sits on a hillside northeast of town and is the final resting spot of more than 400 local veterans.

The solution came in the form of a Columbarium, a structure that houses the ashen remains and now sits adjacent to the flag-bedecked portion of the cemetery grounds.

“This cemetery is the final resting place for veterans from a wide range of conflicts,” said Mariposa member Ed Foste. “There are grave markers here dating back to the Civil War and pretty much every war since then.”

The black-glass monolithic structure was delivered to the cemetery grounds last week. With the help of a forklift from Studs Lumber, the approximately six-foot high, 1,200-pound facility was moved and pushed into place last week atop a concrete pad that had been built and poured by volunteers.

The columbarium will be anchored securely to the concrete pad in a grassy area near the cemetery office and just south of the flag pavilion. One of the square, half-inch thick glass panels that was damaged during shipping will be replaced.

The columbarium has 40 double spaces to allow for veterans and their spouses to be interred side-by-side. Also included are 80 boxes for individual storage.

Names and other information of those interred will be etched into the glass in front of the box in which their remains are kept, creating a lasting memory in a peaceful setting with a spectacular view of the valley below and the mountains to the west.

Keys to the columbarium will be provided to the cemetery office and the local funeral facility, with the first ashes to be placed inside soon.

“We are already getting a lot of requests for space in the columbarium,” Foste and Williams said. “It’s basically ready to go after we get it anchored in place.”

Another means of honoring those who served their country and respect their final wishes is now part of a hallowed place of honor.