(WWJ) - For years, the ashes of a decorated Vietnam veteran that sat forgotten and collecting dust in a dark storage unit will finally be laid to rest in a proper burial at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly this summer.
The remains of Master Sgt. Enrique Leonardo Castro remained tucked away and hidden until James Weir won the storage unit in an action in Cadillac, Mich. earlier this year, said the Michigan Department of Veterans and Military Affairs.
When Weir discovered Castro's ashes, he reached out to Arlington National Cemetery about interring Castro at the military cemetery in Virginia; Weir was told by officials that only family members could apply.
Officials said Weir searched for Castro's living relatives with no luck, but took it upon himself to help lay the veteran's ashes to rest.
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The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency was contacted by Weir where MVAA Director Zaneta Adams was made aware of the situation. Adams then sought the help of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Cemetery Administration.
According to service records, Castro was a Texas native, having been born in San Antonio in 1950. He joined the Army in 1968 at 18 years old. He passed specialized training to become a Green Beret and served as a United States Army Special Forces soldier out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Officials said "the Green Berets are uniquely selected, trained and equipped for deployment around the world during peacetime, conflict and war. Regionally and culturally oriented, Special Forces soldiers are experts in unconventional warfare, direct action."
Castro saw combat in the Vietnam War and earned the prestigious Legion of Merit and Bronze Star medals, officials said. Castro's military service spanned 25 years before he honorably retired in 1993.
He died in 2016 at age 66.
The combined efforts of Weir and the MVAA led to the confirmation that Castro could receive a proper burial at any national cemetery.
"Master Sgt. Castro will be honored with a ceremony by the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council during the Memorial Day parade in Dearborn," officials of the MVAA said in a press lease. "Then, in early June, his ashes will be interred at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly."
The length of Weir's efforts to peacefully lay Castro's ashes to rest received national attention earlier this year at the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA) Conference, where VA Secretary Denis McDonough spoke on the matter.
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“After years of sitting on that shelf in a dark empty storage unit, Enrique is well on his way to his final resting place, on his way home, likely to one of our national cemeteries where he’ll be interred with the honors he deserves,” McDonough said.
“That may seem like a small thing to some, but we all know it’s not. That’s what our partnership is all about, getting the job done for veterans.”