'He's where he's supposed to be': Forgotten Veteran laid to rest thanks to Milwaukee VA clerk's tenacity

A headstone in Wood National Cemetery on the Milwaukee VA grounds now marks the final resting place of Sgt. Lloyd Edward Gauthier, a Korean War Veteran who died Sept. 30, 2004. But for more than 20 years, Gauthier’s remains, encased in an urn emblazoned with the U.S. Marine Corps seal, were passed among different family members until the fall of 2023, when a man struggling with homelessness came into the Milwaukee VA, clutching the urn and looking for help.

Luckily, he found Jamie Price.

Price, a detail clerk who helps families complete all the necessary paperwork and arrangements for deceased Veterans, doesn’t know who the man was. He wasn’t a Veteran, and he appeared desperate when he sat down in Price’s office with the urn.

“He said, ‘This is my Uncle Ed. I’m losing my house. Can you put him in the ground?’” Price remembered, saying the only other information the man could provide was Ed’s date of birth. “That was it.”

Price said she was stunned, unsure what to do. But looking at the man and the urn told her she couldn’t say no.

So she assured the man she would handle it, thinking the task would be easy. 

It wasn’t.

As she began pursuing her usual leads for Veterans’ records, she hit walls. Days turned to months as she continued to hit one dead end after another.

“I couldn’t find anything on this guy,” she said. “He sat on my desk for a long time.”

She requested his DD 214 from the National Archives. It came back blank. Google searches and people finder services were fruitless. She finally learned that he had died in Phoenix some 20 years ago, but nothing more for months.

While some people would have given up at this point, Price became more dogged, like a detective. When she would come in each day, she would see the urn, reminding her to keep digging.

But each dead end made her doubt herself a little more.

“I thought, ‘Did I make a mistake? Should I have done this?’ she said. “But he was a Veteran … and we take care of them. I knew I would eventually find some answers.”

Finally, more than a year after the urn had been left with her, she connected with someone at the National Cemetery Administration, who was able to get enough information to process an application for burial.

“This guy was phenomenal,” she said, noting that she was able to forge a connection with the Wisconsin native over all things from America’s Dairyland. “Nobody else had ever been able to get enough information. It was liberating. The stars finally aligned.”

Within a day, Price learned that “Uncle Ed” was eligible for burial. She called Wood National Cemetery the next day and scheduled the interment.

But Price’s work didn’t stop there. A Veteran’s burial deserves more than just a hole in the ground. So Price alerted her co-workers, friends and colleagues about the burial ceremony.

On Nov. 20, 2024, some 30 people — none of whom knew the Veteran personally — attended the interment. Price and others spoke on Uncle Ed’s behalf, and the Veteran was laid to rest.

“It was incredible. They all showed up for Ed,” she said. “It was very loving, and just a tribute to how we never forget any of our Vets, and we make sure they are taken care of until the very end. He’d been sitting on a shelf for 20 years, but to see all that love and support for him was amazing.”

For Price, the resolution was confirmation that she is doing important work. And that was reinforced when she received an ICARE Champion of the Month award after being nominated by her manager, Wonya Sloan.

“Jamie’s unwavering dedication and tireless advocacy transformed a chance encounter into a dignified resolution for a forgotten hero,” he said. “This story is a testament to Jamie’s excellence in upholding the VA’s mission to honor America’s Veterans.”

He lauded Price’s “compassion, resourcefulness and dedication,” noting that her “relentless pursuit of justice … reflects the heart and spirit of the ICARE values.”

“Her actions are an inspiration to us all and a shining example of how one person’s commitment can transform lives and legacies.”

“I love what I do,” Price said, saying she was incredibly humbled to receive the award. “Having someone appreciate you is incredible. I’m so proud to be recognized.”

But she’s even happier that Uncle Ed found his home.

“It’s really cool to finally see that’s he’s going to be with us forever here at Wood,” she said. “It’s kind of sad that I don’t see him every day. But I know he’s where he’s supposed to be, and I love that.”