1
No agency tracks this
There is currently no federal agency that tracks exactly how many U.S. veterans' cremated remains are commercially shipped each year to a family, funeral home, cemetery, or final resting place.
Why this work exists
About 60 a day.
How many veterans' cremated remains may be shipped each year, and how we arrived at that estimate.
The estimate
About 60 veterans every day.
2
So we built an estimate
Using available Department of Veterans Affairs mortality data, national cremation statistics, and U.S. Postal Service cremated-remains shipping data, Honor Mission Foundation estimates that approximately 22,000 veterans' cremated remains may be transported through the U.S. mail each year. That represents a reasonable estimated range of approximately 16,500 to 27,500 veterans annually.
3
Which works out to about 60 a day
Based on the midpoint estimate, approximately 60 veterans every day may have part of their final journey handled through the commercial mail system.
What the number means
More than a number.
It represents families placing the cremated remains of someone they love into a shipping container and trusting a commercial delivery system to carry that veteran to the next destination. Honor Mission Foundation believes families should have another option.
How we arrived at the estimate.
The working
- Available federal data indicates that approximately 438,000 U.S. veterans die each year.
- Using a national cremation rate of approximately 62.8%, an estimated 275,000 veterans may be cremated annually.
- Industry analysis of U.S. Postal Service cremated-remains shipping data indicates that approximately 8% of cremations may involve shipment through the mail.
- Applying that rate to the estimated number of veterans cremated annually produces an estimate of approximately 22,000 veterans per year.
Why this matters
Delays are documented.
45,765 delayed packages
A U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General review identified 45,765 delayed cremated-remains packages during a two-year audit period.
Approximately 14.6%
That represents a delay rate of approximately 14.6% among the shipments reviewed.
How many were veterans
We cannot say how many of those packages contained the remains of veterans. But we believe even one veteran making their final journey as a delayed package is worth finding a better way.
Our mission.
Honor Mission Foundation is building a nationwide network of qualified veteran organizations to coordinate the dignified transport of the cremated remains of verified U.S. military veterans and active-duty service members to their families or final resting place. Our goal is simple: give families a respectful, veteran-led alternative when their loved one needs to make that final journey home.
We aren't delivering a package.We're carrying a veteran home.
Honor · Dignity · Respect · Veteran to Veteran