Ashes of WWII veteran finally get resting place

SANTA NELLA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A veteran's ashes found in a storage shed are now laid to rest at the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery.

As Taps echoes in the distance, a soldier gets the memorial he never received. Fallen but not forgotten.

"I'm happy that we found him, and happy that we've laid him to rest now," said Missing in America Project Coordinator Bob Protzman.

Charles R. Ensminger's ashes now lay amongst his comrades, not in a storage shed where the valor medal recipient's remains sat for more than a decade.

"World War II veteran. It appears that he joined the Navy from 1942 to 1948," said Protzman.

And before the 80-mile journey to the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery, Ensminger gets a formal farewell in Fresno.

"We are doing the right thing by providing that proper respect, that dedication and that burial," said Congressman Jim Costa.

The circumstances of his death and the whereabouts of his relatives aren't clear. But on this August day, his military family is right by his side.