Cremated remains of Colorado veteran Martin Pianga need final resting place
It's a mystery CBS News Colorado needs help solving: after a Coloradan sorted through an auctioned-off storage unit in Dumont, he found and was given a collection of newspaper clippings, an old hat, and the cremated remains of Martin Pianga, a veteran. Pianga's remains were turned over to the Clear Creek County Veteran's Services Office.
Veteran's Service Officer Troy Erickson got to working on where Pianga was supposed to be entombed because it certainly wasn't where he was right now.
"We believe that his daughter was living in Central City and believe she was the one renting the storage unit in Dumont," Erickson said. "She passed away but we have no idea where she is buried either."
It's Erickson's hope to find Pianga's wife, Anna, and bury them together. Anna's notebook was among the things in the storage locker and helps to detail their relationship, even after both have passed.
"They were very close," Erickson said.
Only one problem, where Anna is buried remains unknown. Erickson said he's used ancestral searching sights, worked with local law enforcement to search criminal records, and checked old newspapers for obituaries, but he's hitting a dead end.
Here's what is known:
Martin Piagna was born in Budapest, enlisted when he moved to the U.S. to fight in WWII, fought in the Korean War, spent time at Fort Carson Army Post, was honorably discharged, and had a wife named Anna who lived and died in Central City in 1976, Martin would die 6 months later in New Mexico.
Now Erickson is crowdsourcing his search in hopes to bring the veteran to rest.
"Anyone who might have some information about Martin or Anna... whether it is from up here (near Gilpin or Clear Creek County) or he did retire from Fort Carson, so he did spend some time down in Colorado Springs around his retirement," Erickson said. "So there may be some information from those folks as well."
Erickson said this search has already gone on for too long for a man who deserves so much more than this.
"A very small percentage of our population chooses to serve, Martin volunteered to serve, he wasn't drafted," Erickson said. "To make that commitment not only to serve in the defense of our country but to do so for over 21 years speaks to his vision and his belief in freedom. "
"We owe our veterans a lot and getting the opportunity to respect his service and honor his family wherever they may be is the right thing to do."