A Premier Daily Highlight Story: Sometimes there are stories that can help raise and maintain awareness of important subjects. That’s why we scour the archives and bring some of them back to help keep parents in the know. They may be touching, and even make you shed a tear, but good intentions are sometimes what matters most.
War is not something to be taken lightly. With all the violence that goes with it, it is hard to imagine what it must be like for those who go off to fight for their country. They must be such dedicated and patriotic people, seeing that they will die for their place of birth. Those veterans of our country who have fought tooth and nail. Often giving up their lives for the country’s sake. They deserve to be celebrated in life, and in death. This is a 2019 story about a casket with the body of an American veteran. A man who had died fighting for his country. He was left unclaimed, so a rally of bikers stepped up to the plate.
All Veterans Deserve Dignity
The veteran who is the subject of our story had served as a Marine soldier during the 1950s. His name was Robert Krause. This was an auspicious time because a lot of history went down during that time, and the military, the marines, and in all its different forms were very involved in the making of said history. By the time Robert retired and passed away his family was not around anymore either. That meant that he was left to be buried alone in his casket. So, he would not get the dignity he deserved. Even in death.
These men have fought hard to help, in the way they knew how, to fight for the country’s ideals. They have sacrificed many things in order to be a part of this. And, a lot of the time that means their family is not around when they return or don’t return. Many people might argue that that is reason enough to have the most dignified funeral service.
An Unclaimed Veteran’s Funeral
Those veterans who are left unclaimed are given a funeral service by the Florida National Cemetery four times a year. Each quarter they host the funerals in honor of the man who fought for their country but has no one to send him off in his casket appropriately. This is almost like their way of giving back.
For the Veteran Robert Krause’s funeral, there was no one expected to arrive to see him buried, which was to be in the Florida National Cemetery in their quarterly funerals for unclaimed veterans. He would have been buried completely alone without any support from fellow veterans or his family if it were not for a man named Nick Morales.
Nick Morales is a veteran for the U.S army and the Marine Corps. He is part of a group of bikers who volunteer their time and service to send off those veterans who have no one to attend their funeral. Nick said,
“Our motto is ‘vets helping vets’. We’re not going to let any vet go to their final resting place by themselves. We all have a common bond of service – our service, what we’ve done for our country. And regardless of what we’ve done after our service, we still have that bond.”
A Casket and A Send-Off
The funeral had started out like many other services where there was no one in attendance. There must’ve been a gloomy feeling in the air as the right words were never said by anyone, as no one was there. Robert had lived a long life, and he managed to survive the Marine Corps in the 1950s, all the way till now. It is a sad state of affairs to not have anyone to share his stories of glory.
It all changed when the biker volunteers suddenly showed up. Each one of them is a veteran, and they share the opinion that no veteran deserves to be buried alone. Nick Morales shared his insight over the matter.
”I’ve heard it said that a veteran dies twice: once on the battlefield and the second time when people stop saying his name. If there’s anything we can do to prevent the latter, so be it.”
They get together to attend the funerals of those veterans who no longer have any loved ones around. For whatever reason, that may be. They feel each veteran is worth at least a small bit of time. Time to show up in solidarity with all the efforts they have put into their country. When the service was over and the final hymn was sung, the casket was ready to be driven to the place it will be buried. The bikers hopped on their rides, and they escorted Robert’s body all the way, with rumbling engines.
What a Service Indeed
These bikers said they felt proud to be a part of this man’s funeral. All because they would want the same for themselves, to know that someone will be there for them in the end. The funeral for Robert Krause ended off with taps.
And Nick Morales said, “It’s not just Taps for Mr. Krause, it’s Taps for all of us who are fallen. It’s embedded in us,” which goes to show his, and the rest of his biker troop’s dedication to the cause.
Keep Reading: Nonprofit Organization Built Homeless Veterans Village of Tiny Homes Instead Of Leaving Them Homeless
Sources
- “Marine dies by himself with no one to claim his body – suddenly 7 bikes show up and grab his casket.” Love This Pic
- “Marine Dies Alone with No One To Claim His Body, 7 Bikers Show Up To Carry Casket for Tribute.” Faith Trend