Gloria Sine, wife of Leonard Sine, said her husband died from an illness at the Commonwealth Health Center at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
“My husband had been ill since June, and it’s a long and painful process to see him suffering. I want to have him buried on Thursday, Oct. 7, but the Veterans Affairs Office told me it can’t be done,” Mrs. Sine said.
Her sister flew in from the Philippines but had to leave the island due to the delay in the burial.
Mrs. Sine said her other sister also flew in from California on a military plane but is still on Guam.
“I have no children and no other immediate family members except for my sisters and because of the long delay, they can’t even attend the funeral,” she said.
The delay is prolonging her agony and will result in additional expenses.
She and her husband were married for 34 years.
CNMI Military and Veterans Affairs Executive Director Ruth Coleman said the shutdown is not the cause of the delay.
“Requests for burials with full military honors require from five to eight working days to process and that is the regular procedure. Mrs. Sine informed me of her husband’s death [on Sunday] noon and she wants the burial to be on Thursday,” Coleman said.
She said she has already forwarded the request and is waiting for a notification from the U.S. military.
She explained to Mrs. Sine that her husband could be buried on Thursday but without full military honors.
Coleman, however, admitted that it may not be that easy to find volunteers who will prepare the grave.
Her office is among the government offices that have to shut down because of the Legislature’s failure to pass a new budget.
Coleman said Mr. Sine served in the U.S. military for over 25 years and retired as a lt. colonel.
“He deserves a funeral with full military honors, and nothing less, so his family should wait until the 14th because that is the first available date where arrangements can be made,” Coleman said.
She has already contacted the DPW secretary who promised to send volunteers to prepare the plot at the CNMI Veterans Cemetery in Marpi next week if the government shutdown continues.
Despite the shutdown, she still goes to work every day.
“I cannot close the office and I cannot say no to the needs of the veterans, like making the necessary arrangements for Lt. Colonel Sine’s funeral,” Coleman said.
