UC San Diego sent hundreds of dead bodies to the military — Families say they never knew.

For over a decade, she planned on donating her body to science, hoping to train future doctors or advance medical research. As the matriarch’s health declined, her family prepared to honor her final wish.

The University of California San Diego, home to the nation’s second-largest body donation program, was ready to accept her remains.

Her family was hesitant. Unlike most medical schools with similar programs, UCSD requires body donors to waive their right under California law to have their ashes returned to their loved ones.

The policy would prevent Niranjana Anandpura’s family from performing traditional Hindu funeral rites. They didn’t believe the sacrifice was worth it.

The family says Dr. Scott Barton, director of the UCSD Body Donation Program, convinced them otherwise.