Texas veterans made sure that a homeless veteran received the dignity of a proper funeral. The troubled veteran had died alone.
Private First Class (PFC) Mark Anthony McCurdy served honorably from 1980 to 1982 but he died without any next of kin.
The Monitor reported that VFW posts from around the valley, the Veteran Lands Board, and the Veterans Board, made sure that McCurdy was properly honored when he was laid to rest. More than 100 veterans attended his funeral at the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery in Mission, Texas.
Veteran Lupita Perez from Elsa, Texas in Hidalgo County told The Monitor, “To think that if my son had no one.” She added, “We had to be here. We had to make this happen.” Her son is deploying this week to Wyoming.
Perez and fellow veterans from her 7473 Post were at the cemetery. Perez said, “He’s been living on the streets.” “No one knew he served for this country. It’s awful,” she said.
The Honor Guard from Israel Martinez Post 8788 helped with the ceremonial folding and presentation of the American flag. First Class McCurdy was given a proper military funeral which also included the Three-Volley Salute.
Twenty-year veteran Daniel Alvarez was reported to have clutched the folded American flag while sweat was pouring down his face. Alvarez had helped put the military funeral together.
Mike Escobedo was reported to say, “I have family.” “I’ve been to funerals with a couple people. But no one?”
Perez said as she was crying, “He dies with no one,” but continued, “But then he became rich. Today he was rich with family.”
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the Department of Veteran Affairs issued a Suicide Data Report in 2012 which reported that 22 veterans a day commit suicide. Many suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and are homeless.
Lana Shadwick is a writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and an associate judge. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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