Funeral home gives homeless veteran proper burial service (Purple Heart, Silver Star, Bronze Star)

[The Straight Story]

Funeral home gives homeless veteran proper burial service

By GEORGE H. NEWMAN | The Tampa Tribune
PLANT CITY --


John F. Booth of Tampa, who served as an Army sergeant during the Vietnam War, was honored on July 5 at Wells Memorial Funeral Home. The service was followed by his burial at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

"Booth, 69, is a veteran with no home, no money and no legal next of kin to make his funeral arrangements," said Jessica S. McDunn, a spokeswoman for the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program, a cooperative effort among 1,800 funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers across the country.

Wells Memorial and the Gonzalez funeral homes stepped in to make sure Booth received a burial befitting all honorable veterans, McDunn said. Gonzalez provided Booth's casket.

"Booth was a recipient of the Purple Heart for wounds he received in action on Jan. 20, 1969," McDunn said. "He also earned a Silver Star for gallantry in action on Jan. 20, 1969. Booth also earned a Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces in Vietnam during the period of April 1968 to April 1969."

http://www2.tbo.com/news/community-news/2011/jul/20/pcnewso14-funeral-home-gives-homeless-veteran-prop-ar-244698/

[OneGrassRoot]

1. K&R. Thank you. n/t

[monmouth]

2. War takes so much from our sons and daughters. They give their

lives, one way or the other. Whether it be via physical or mental injury, the country take our children and alter their lives. The military should bring back the draft, the urge to go to war for every friggin whim or oil field might get a second thought if rich kids have to be drafted.

[Angry Dragon]

3. The rich would still slide

How about 2 year mandatory enlistment??

[cliffordu]

4. Thanks for posting this.

The fact that it has to be funeral homes that honor homeless Veterans makes me sick to my stomach.

I am grateful for their work in this. I will not be dissing them as I have in the past.

[joeybee12]

5. Very glad they did this for the guy...RIP

[lpbk2713]

6. May he rest in peace.

He's already served his time in hell.

Kudos to the Wells Memorial and Gonzalez Funeral Homes.

[Historic NY]

7. "Show me the manner in which a nation or a community cares for its dead and I will measure with ...

mathematical exactness the tender sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals." – Gladstone.