90-Year-Old War Veteran Given Complete Military Funeral By Hundreds Of Strangers In Ohio

Jun 03, 2019 by apost team

The residents of Cincinnati, Ohio gave a 90-year-old Korean War veteran the sendoff of a lifetime this past Memorial Day weekend. Hezekiah Perkins served his country with honor and distinction as a member of the military, fighting through some of the most brutal battles of the Korean War.

When Perkins died earlier this past May from old age, staff members of the Spring Grove Funeral Home were heartbroken to learn that no one would be present to mourn the fallen hero at his funeral. All of Perkins’ family lived too far away to attend the ceremony and his daughter was too ill to come to the funeral home.

To make sure that someone would be there to mourn Perkins, Skip Phelps, director of Spring Grove Funeral Home, reached out to the community to come honor the veteran. 

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News of Perkins’ funeral spread like wildfire on social media, with Phelps saying that he was amazed by the response the funeral home got from the community. Over 400 people came to pay their respects to Perkins, many of whom drove hours just to get to Spring Grove Cemetery, where Perkins had arranged for his burial several years ago.

Suzanne Koehne told reporters from Fox 19 that she had driven 100 miles to attend the service, feeling that it was the right thing to do for someone who had served their country in war.

Legions of motorcyclists led the procession to Perkins’ final resting place, where he was given full military honors to the playing of taps. While not there physically, Perkins’ daughter was able to use video communication to view the ceremony.

Lynay Straughn, director of the cemetery, said that the veteran’s daughter wept at the kindness of the crowd who put forth so much effort to honor her father. Straughn later accepted a folded American flag on behalf of the Perkins family. 

Antonette Williams, who cared for Perkins at his nursing home, told reporters of how kind he was in life. Williams says that she will always remember how respectful Perkins was of others and that he always loved wearing his Army pants and shirt. The love of the military and the country could be found in the hearts of everyone in attendance.

Patricia Buschmann, a member of the American Legion, said that Perkins was a brother to everyone in the service and that their organization would never let one of their own be buried without a proper goodbye. 

What do you think of the outpouring of appreciation given to Perkins by the people of Cincinnati? Pass this heartwarming story along to your friends.