The Dignity Memorial Homeless/Unclaimed Veteran Burial Program, East Tennessee Regional Forensic Center and East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery invites all veterans and individuals who wish to attend a memorial service for eight unclaimed veterans to the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 2200 E. Governor John Sevier Highway, Knoxville, at noon on Wednesday, March 22.
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Chaplain Pat Polis, Vietnam Veterans of America will officiate. The Department of Defense will provide Honor Guards from the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. Working with them will be the East Tennessee Veterans Honor Guard, Volunteer State Veterans Honor Guard and Veterans Military Honor Guard of Pigeon Forge. These honor guards, working together, will provide full military funeral honors for the following eight unclaimed veterans:
• Sergeant First Class Jerry Alan Palmer (1950-2022), US Army, Retired (1968-1988), Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.
• Specialist 5 David Brent Bledsoe (1952-2021), US Army (1972-1978,) US Army Medical Research Institute-Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland.
• Specialist 4 Robert Daniel Edwards (1954-2023), US Army (1974-1976), 122nd Maintenance BN/770th Maintenance Company, Army National Guard, Knoxville.
• Private First Class Terrell Wayne Biggerstaff, Jr. (1960-2022), US Army (1980-1982), Company C. 1st Battalion, 58th Infantry.
• Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Charles Robert McMeans (1956-2022), US Navy (1974-1978), USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63).
• Private Joseph Norman McGoldrick (1944-2021), US Army (1961-1962), US Army Armor School, Fort Knox, Kentucky.
• Private Fredrick Joseph Chase (1956-2021), US Army (1976-1977), Company C., 4th Battalion, 3rd Basic Combat Training , Fort Dix, New Jersey.
• Private Paul Deen Alexander (1957-2022), US Army (1975), Company C., 11th Battalion, 5th Basic Combat, Training, Fort Knox, Kentucky.
A motorcycle escort will be provided by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and numerous East Tennessee Bike Chapters.
Those wishing to attend may either meet at the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 2200 East John Sevier Highway, Knoxville, TN 37920, at 11 a.m., or those who wish to participate in the motorcycle escort to the cemetery will meet at the Berry Funeral Home, 3704 Chapman Highway, Knoxville, TN 37920 at 10:45 a.m. From there, the motorcycle escort will proceed to the cemetery.
For more information, contact Jeff Berry of Berry Funeral Home at 865-577-6666/865-660-4531 or Steve Holbert of Veterans Military Honor Guard of Pigeon Forge at 865-314-3915/865-428-0704.
