For those of us who haven’t gone to war, it’s hard to imagine what that experience would be like. It’s something we will never know, and can only begin to maybe understand when we hear stories from friends and loved ones, or learn about it in movies or books. To pay tribute to a fallen soldier is a sign of respect and honor, and this story is a shining example of how a community stepped up to give a man with no family a truly remarkable send-off.
Air force veteran Joseph Walker was born in 1946 and died in November 2018 at 72 years old. He was in the Vietnam War before being honorably discharged. With a very bare bones obituary simply describing the details of the funeral and not so much his life, the late veteran was considered “unaccompanied,” meaning he had no family or friends.
The funeral home tried to locate and contact family members, but there was no one, the main factor in why his burial took place months after his death. So, when Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery posted the details of Joseph’s full military burial, mentioning he would be “unaccompanied, ” something very incredible happened. The exact message was: “If you have the opportunity, please come out and attend. We do NOT leave Veterans behind.” It changed everything.
All of a sudden, the message caught on like wildfire. Texas Senator Ted Cruz and CNN anchor Jake Tapper caught wind of the post and amplified its meaning across their networks and channels. People started retweeting and reposting across social media. What was almost a no-show funeral became a mega display of support and love with the attendance of thousands of people–over 5,000 according to Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody.
“I was made aware this weekend of a veteran who passed that was going to be buried at a local veterans cemetery with no family in attendance,” Robert tweeted alongside images from the funeral. “That’s just not the case. He has a family of veterans & public at large. I sent a delegation as well from WCSO to show our gratitude.”
So many people showed up, the service was delayed because there were so many cars backed up on the road waiting to get in. The parking lot was overflowing, and cars had to be parked on the grass. There was even an Air Force flyover as a part of the ceremony, something that isn’t usually included as it is not required by law and can only be performed according to military regulations. Joseph Walker got so much more than a funeral. He was given a family and community.
Click the video below to see first hand the beautiful outpouring of honor and support.
