After Homeless Vet Dies With No Family To Bury Him, These High School Students Step In To Help

Aug 28, 2018 by apost team

People always complain about how selfish and entitled teenagers are. They are treated like children, but people also expect them to start acting like adults. From parents to teachers, everyone seems to pick on teenagers. While some teenagers are definitely selfish and immature, there are other kids who show how great teenagers can actually be.

Teenagers have to manage their schoolwork while still having a social life. While most teenagers spend their time thinking about a crush or the latest gossip, other teenagers actually put their skills to work. In one case, a group of teenagers spent their free time making sure that a homeless veteran was honored for his service.

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Our country takes great pride in our military and our veterans. While we have holidays that honor our veterans, too many veterans end up homeless after they serve in the military. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, nearly 40,000 veterans are currently homeless. It is estimated that about half of these homeless veterans also suffer from mental illness.

In one recent case, one veteran ended up living the last years of his life on the streets. He died homeless and without any family members to bury him. To everyone's complete surprise, a group of Massachusetts teenagers ended up helping the veteran out.

They ended up planning the man's entire funeral.

It was remarkable for the community to see what these teenagers were capable of. Because of their kind act, they ended up getting a lot of press coverage. Before long, the entire nation was reading stories and watching videos of the teenagers' act of kindness.

The young adults are all students at the Catholic Memorial High School. They heard that the homeless veteran had died without and relatives or friends. Instead of just dismissing the news, they decided to do something about it.

Unfortunately, the teenagers were unable to learn the name of the poor man. They ended up calling him John at the funeral service. Many of the students have family members who served in the military, so they felt a special connection to the veteran. 

No one knew who the veteran was. They only knew that he was a veteran and all alone in the world. For these teenagers, that was the only thing that they needed to know. The young adults enlisted the help of the Crosby Funeral Home and the Lazarus Ministry to make a special tribute to the man. 

The students felt honored to take part in the ceremony. The high school seniors were the pallbearers for the homeless man. They draped a flag over the coffin for a traditional, military funeral. 

Peter Folan was the school's president at the time. He spoke about the importance of honoring the veteran. To Folan, giving the man a proper burial was the best way to honor his legacy. It also reminded everyone present about the value of all human life. 

The veteran died alone on the roads of West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Because of the teenagers, he did not die forgotten. He had an honorable funeral with all of the respect that his military service deserved.

People always think that teenagers are entitled, but this group of students proves everyone wrong. They made a difference in the world by taking action when they saw an injustice. Through examples like this, we can all start hoping for a better world. 

Are you amazed by these teenagers? Let everyone know about the remarkable thing these students did.