A World War II Navy veteran who had no immediate family to oversee his burial received a large public funeral in Massachusetts after local veterans services officials asked the community to attend. After John Bernard Arnold III died earlier this month, Terrance O’Keefe of Hanover-Hanson Veteran Services organized his funeral and said they hoped people from across the state would attend the service.
About 15-hundred people came to the funeral, and during the service, four veterans saluted Arnold’s casket while a priest shared details about his life. The vet had arranged his funeral more than a decade earlier and requested a Catholic Mass without a eulogy.
After the service, Arnold was buried with bagpipes, a gun salute, and military honors under a clear sky. The American flag from his casket was presented to the director of the veterans home where Arnold spent his final years. Following news coverage of the funeral, Arnold’s great-nephew Joe Durban recognized his name, traveled to Massachusetts, and visited his relative’s grave where he was presented with the burial flag.
Source: CBS NEWS
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