The Phoenix family have waited 12 months for the Korean War Veteran Arizona News to begin

By Randall Perry On May 26, 2021

PHOENIX (3TV / CBS 5) – Yvonne Lincoln visits her husband’s grave almost every day.

“I just miss him so much,” she told 3 On Your Side as she cried near his grave. But she says her visits are heartbreaking because there is no tombstone 12 months after he was laid to rest. “It’s awful because that’s my husband right there, but nobody knows.”

Yvonne and her daughters have been looking at the depressing grave site for a year and only stare at the brown grass. They say it’s not how to remember a loved one. “It’s very disrespectful to our veterans, our Korean War veterans,” she said.

Charles R. Lincoln served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. In fact, Yvonne still has her husband’s dress blue. The two had been married for more than 50 years and started a family. Charles eventually retired as a cement worker. But it was his military service that he was most proud of. “He just loved life. And he taught his grandchildren all about his life in the ministry.”

But last June Charles died. The family says his funeral was beautiful and easy to handle because Charles made funeral arrangements years ago that included a tombstone. However, this tombstone does not exist and leaves his grave unmarked. “I’m sitting over there under the tree and I’m sitting and looking at that.”

Yvonne and her family say that over the past 12 months they have complained to the Dignity Memorial and asked about Charles’ tombstone but have received no responses. However, that changed when 3 On Your Side got involved. “I can’t thank you enough. And Channel 3 too, you’re amazing,” said Yvonne as she looked at her husband’s new tombstone.

Just two hours after I contacted the morgue, they laid a foundation stone that recognized the life and death of Charles R. Lincoln. After 12 long months of waiting, his unmarked grave has meaning. And his family says they are finally closed.

“He knows we fought for him. And that’s why we got this because of Gary Harper and 3 On Your Side. We did it!”

The cemetery never said where the tombstone was last year. But apparently it was stored somewhere nearby because it was put up as soon as it was brought to their attention. And again the family is closed.