LAND O'LAKES, Fla. (AP) — Woodworkers in the Tampa Bay area are making urns to ensure that the remains of indigent veterans are preserved with dignity.
The Veterans Urn Project is a collaboration by the Woodcrafters Club of Tampa, the Woodcrafters Club of St. Petersburg and the AMVETS Post 9 in Odessa.
The urns are made from donated wood. Each is inscribed with a military emblem. They're sent free of charge around the country.
The project got its start last year when news reports surfaced about a former soldier buried at the Florida National Cemetery in a cardboard box. Tom Jones, the president of the Woodcrafters Club of Tampa, says that news made him think about using his wood-carving talents in a different way.
Jones tells The Tampa Tribune that he hopes to enlist more woodworkers nationwide.
