Hundreds gather to honor the life of an unclaimed veteran
Petty Officer Third Class James Miske lived in Columbia and served in Vietnam
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — A Navy veteran who had no family to claim him after his death had more than 500 people pay their respects to him.
Hundreds gathered at Fort Jackson National Cemetery to lay Petty Officer Third Class James Miske to rest.
People from all walks of life stood side by side, silently honoring the fallen hero.
Even though they might not have known the man in the casket personally, they recognized his unyielding dedication to his nation.
“We’re a band of brothers, which is really what we are, and it means quite a bit to me since he had been in Vietnam, I spent a year there too, so it’s something we need to do for our veterans,” said Larry Huff of Sumter.
Miske served in the Navy during the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1967.
With no family to make funeral arrangements for him, South Carolina veterans took him in with open arms, and sent him off like one of their own.
“I’d be really sad if no one showed up to my funeral. I just want to show my respect to my fellow shipmate,” said Kimberly Villwock, a Navy veteran.
Organizers say in the past year, there have been six funerals for unclaimed veterans at Fort Jackson National Cemetery, and the number of people coming to pay their respects has increased each time.
“There is an epidemic of homelessness among veterans, and not only homelessness, but there are so many veterans that are not homeless but simply don’t have family. We’re just really humbled and honored to be able to do this,” said William Lynch, the Chairman of the Homeless Veterans Burial Program.
As they lay a fallen hero to rest, some say seeing the community show their patriotic pride is second to none.
“It is so beautiful. This could have been me and our family, and I wanted this man to know he was not forgotten,” said Annette Halter, a mother of two Navy veterans.
Organizers say Miske was living in Columbia at the time of his death three weeks ago, but he had no family members able to make funeral arrangements.
