Homeless veterans in San Antonio have "brothers" honor them with funerals

Brothers Of Fallen Heroes On Patriotic Mission
Final Farewells for Homeless Veterans
Jessie Degollado, KSAT 12 News Reporter

POSTED: Sunday, July 4, 2010
UPDATED: 12:31 pm CDT July 5, 2010

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Almost every Wednesday, members of Brothers of Fallen Heroes gather at Fort Sam Houston Cemetery to bid their farewells to homeless veterans, who had no one else in their lives.

"You're not alone. We're here by your side," said Bert Hernandez, the group's president and co-founder, a U.S. Marine veteran.

A new member, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Miguel Verdinez will never forget the sadness of his first such funeral.

"There was nobody there that could actually claim our brother," said Verdinez.

Last week, 49-year-old Calvin Thomas, who served in the U.S. Army from 1979 to 1982, became the 108th funeral for a homeless veteran that they have attended since the group's inception three years ago.

The services are usually organized by local funeral homes, the federal government or the American G.I. Forum, a long-standing veterans organization that reaches out to those who are homeless.

The ceremony now involves veterans groups that accept the U.S. flag taken from the casket and folded by members of the homeless veteran's branch of service, a three-volley salute and taps by National Cemetery volunteers, and even a bagpipe playing in the distance.
read more here
http://www.ksat.com/news/24142195/detail.html