Decades Later, Medal of Honor Awardee Gets Graveside Honors

SEATTLE (AP) — A Medal of Honor recipient who was buried in Seattle decades ago without ceremony will now receive full military honors at a service this week.

The Kitsap Sun reports that Emil Fredreksen died in 1950 but with no known next of kin, he was buried without ceremony and a headstone at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park in Seattle.

Emil Fredreksen was one of 11 men awarded the Medal of Honor for actions aboard the gunboat USS Bennington in San Diego in 1905.

He was forgotten until January when a member of the Medal of Honor Historical Society tracked down his location. Cemetery workers uncovered a temporary marker where Fredreksen was buried.

Evergreen Washelli and the US Navy will recognize Fredreksen at a ceremony 2 p.m. Friday. The event is open to the public.