U.S. Army veteran Lawrence S. Givens was laid to rest at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent on Friday, Nov. 1, after his remains were left unclaimed with the Lewis County Coroner’s Office for nearly a year following his death in Centralia on Nov. 6, 2023.
Givens was born on Jan. 1, 1943, and served as a specialist 4th class in the Army.
He is now the fifth U.S. military veteran laid to rest at the cemetery after their remains were left unclaimed in the county. Last year, the coroner's office laid to rest the unclaimed
remains of Frederick A. Clough III, Robert E. Larson, Michael E. Damis and Russel L. Welk.
Clough served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. Damis served as a machinery repairman 3rd class, Larson served as a seaman apprentice and Welk served as a seaman, all in the U.S. Navy.
Givens was escorted to Tahoma National Cemetery in a procession that began Friday morning at the Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis.
The procession was led by Patriot Guard Rider and Army veteran Larry “Running Wolf” Vernon and some of his fellow riders.
Givens was also accompanied by members from various regional Jeep clubs and Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod and his staff. Jeep clubs included the JBLM Chapter Military Jeepers, Lewis County Jeepers, Jeep Singles of Washington, Jeep Wrangler JL-NoBS and Jeep Wrangler JK-NoBS.
Once at Tahoma National Cemetery, a ceremony with military funeral honors was held for Givens with the 21-gun salute and eulogy performed by Muckleshoot Community Veterans Association members.
Muckleshoot Community Veterans Association member and Army veteran Randy Leno told those in attendance at the ceremony he had performed ceremonies before where no family was present and only the veteran’s caretaker was in attendance, but never for the unclaimed remains of a veteran.
“As I start out, we’re all family for an unclaimed veteran … So this is a privilege and an honor today,” Leno said.
He also explained the ceremonial flag folding and what some of the 13 folds involved in the process mean.
Following the ceremony, Givens was interred on Young Memorial Drive in Tahoma National Cemetery’s Columbarium 5H, row C56.
He now rests close to the other four veterans who were laid to rest at Tahoma National Cemetery last year. Those wishing to visit the graves of Clough, Damis, Larson and Welk can find them in Columbarium 5I on Young Memorial Drive, row 220.
Tahoma National Cemetery is located at 18600 SE 240th St. in Kent.
Established in 1993 and opened for interments in 1997, the Tahoma National Cemetery is now the final resting place of more than 60,000 U.S. military service members, veterans and their spouses and children, according to Tahoma National Cemetery volunteers.
To learn more about the cemetery, visit https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/tahoma.asp.
