On June 30, NFDA President Bryant Hightower, CEO Christine Pepper and Senior Vice President of Advocacy Lesley Witter met with Matt Quinn, the new undersecretary for memorial affairs with the Department of Veterans Affairs – National Cemetery Administration (NCA).
The NFDA leaders discussed the association’s long-standing commitment to ensuring veterans and members of the military killed while on active duty are laid to rest with the full measure of respect and dignity they rightly deserve.
NFDA also discussed it’s recent success with the passage of the BRAVE Act, which updates veteran burial benefits to ensure veterans are penalized for where they die and are treated equally based on their service, not the circumstances at their time of death.
Hightower, Pepper and Witter also expressed a desire to work with Quinn and his team at the NCA regarding the unclaimed cremated remains of veterans. It is NFDA’s hope that the funeral profession and the NCA can work together to find a solution that ensures the unclaimed cremated remains of veterans are finally laid to rest with dignity.
In a message he sent shortly after being sworn in, Quinn said:
Being sworn in as the 7th Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs is a tremendous honor. I am humbled to continue my service to our country at the National Cemetery Administration. I also appreciate the faith President Biden, Secretary McDonough, and the U.S. Senate have shown in me.
As Adjutant General for the Montana National Guard, I attended interments in which it was my honor to present our nation’s flag to family members. NCA’s mission is our nation’s final opportunity to honor our fallen Veterans and thank their families for their sacrifice.
I am blessed to be part of this organization to help continue our sacred mission. NCA has an outstanding team, most of whom are veterans themselves. Providing veterans a final resting place in a national shrine is a lasting tribute to their service. My grandfather, Virgil Van Fossan, a World War I Veteran, is buried in a veterans cemetery, along with my grandmother, Marie. My father, Daniel J. Quinn, a World War II and Korean War veteran, is buried in a Montana state veterans cemetery, along with two of his veteran brothers, Don and Frank.
I am committed to ensuring veteran cemeteries and our memorial programs remain an absolute priority at the VA. I look forward to meeting NCA team members and our dedicated stakeholders. It is an honor to work together with you in taking care of our nation’s heroes and their family members during their most difficult times.
Once again, thank you for your support for NCA, veterans, and their families we have the privilege to serve.