Boston High School Holds Funeral with Full Military Honors for Homeless Army Vet who Didn’t Have a Family

John Fitzmaurice was a homeless Army veteran who passed away in Boston without any family who could take care of his burial.   When Catholic Memorial High School found out about this, they decided to bury him with full military honors.

CBS Local News described it as a “final sendoff for a hero from young people who never knew him.”

The students knew very little about the man known only as “John.”  However, the school’s president Peter Folan said that this burial helped the students learn about people who are on society’s outskirts.  “For us paying homage to a veteran, to bring him to our campus, to provide the burial rights he deserves, and to honor his legacy and to help our boys realize we have to stand with those who are marginalized.”  After the mass, his flag-covered coffin was carried to the hearse by a group of seniors.  Then, taps was played.

Here’s more from CBS Local News :

… before an Army hearse took his flag-covered casket away, there was a full mass in Catholic Memorial’s chapel. The Rev. Chris Palladino volunteered his services and the eulogy.

For these young men it was a learning experience for the heart.

“For us paying homage to a veteran, to bring him to our campus, to provide the burial rights he deserves, and to honor his legacy and to help our boys realize we have to stand with those who are marginalized,” said the school’s president, Peter Folan.

What a poignant story.

When we think the world is dark… there is always light if you look for it.

Watch the local news segment on this veteran’s burial below:

Hat Tip: CBS Boston

Image Credit: Screen Cap (WBZ-TV)