At Vietnam vet's funeral, strangers mourn a lost soul

At Vietnam vet's funeral, strangers mourn a lost soul

Written by
Will Higgins

MARION, Ind. -- Kenneth Earl Taylor Jr.'s funeral drew two-dozen Patriot Guard motorcyclists, a VFW honor guard and five Daughters of the American Revolution, among others.

Nearly 100 people in all.

But only three of them actually knew Taylor.

The others mourned not Taylor personally but rather the circumstances that formed one man's grim narrative: Vietnam veteran, living in squalor, kills himself.

Marion Behr, Indianapolis, came to the services at the national cemetery to "represent all the mentally ill people and their troubles."

David Gray, Indianapolis, came for his brother, Danny White, who died alone in Texas, a Vietnam vet who'd been living under a bridge. Gray missed that funeral -- he didn't hear of his brother's passing until five years later.
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At Vietnam vet's funeral, strangers mourn a lost soul