BUTLER TWP — American Legion Riders and the Marine Corps League this morning honored the remains of 11 Butler County veterans with proper military burials.

More than 50 legion motorcycle riders joined the Marine Corps League to escorted the remains from Butler to the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, about 20 miles south of Pittsburgh in Washington County.

State and county police assisted to escort the remains, which were carried in a hearse.

Following the ride to the cemetery, the veterans were given a military funeral.

“Veterans deserve to be honored,” said LeRoy Bunyan, president of the Butler Legion Riders.

“So we came out here today to help bury these 11 veterans out of Butler County.”

The ceremony was made possible through the efforts of Jerry Puff and John Moore, who spent a year tracking down the remains across the county.

Puff and Moore visited every funeral home in the county and ran background checks on unclaimed remains to identify the veterans.

Puff said he was thrilled to see the number of people show up to escort the remains.

“It’s good to see so many people care about what’s going on,” he said.