Bucks Veterans To Be Laid To Rest During Unattended Service

WARMINSTER, PA —Four Bucks County veterans, including three from Levittown, will be laid to rest during an Unattended Veterans Service at Washington Crossing National Cemetery on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Warminster-based Bucks County Coroner Meredith Buck announced this weekend that her office identified two of the county’s unclaimed decedents who died in 2014 and two who died in 2015 as being U.S. veterans.

The public is invited to attend the service, which begins at 2 p.m. at the cemetery on Highland Road. Unattended services are military burials held for veterans whose remains were never claimed by family.

“The community is invited to join the Bucks County Coroner’s Office at the Unattended Veterans Service at Washington Crossing National Cemetery to honor men who served our country and have them properly laid to rest”, Buck stated.

The veterans being interred are:

• Victor L Judge, Air Force (Airman Basic), from Falls Township
• Alvin Emmet Lyles, Army (Private), from Bristol Township
• Augustus Tomlinson, Army (Sergeant), from Bristol Township
• George Collins, Army (Specialist), from Doylestown Township

Collins and Judge both passed away in 2014. Buck said Judge died at home and family could not be located.

She told Patch Tuesday that Lyles died in a nursing home and that there was no mention of his veteran status or family. She said Tomlinson died in a nursing home and his niece was notified. Both died in 2015.

During the ceremony, these veterans’ names will be read, and the Pennsylvania Military Honors team will present the flag on the behalf of the veterans.

A rifle salute and live Taps will be played.

After the ceremony, the veterans will each be placed in their own niche in the columbarium which will be engraved with “Proudly Served.”