Hearse Drivers Carrying Veteran's Body Get Lesson in Respect

Hearse Stops at Dunkin' Donuts with Veteran's Flag-Draped Coffin in Parking Lot 
NBC Miami
May 13, 2015

A hearse driver was fired after stopping at Dunkin Donuts as he left a veteran's flag-draped casket visible in the hearse outside. (Published Wednesday, May 13, 2015)

Two former funeral home employees are out of a job after they stopped for coffee at a Dunkin' Donuts, leaving a hearse carrying the flag-draped coffin of an Army veteran in the parking lot.

NBC affiliate WFLA reports that the body of Lt. Col. Jesse Coleman was on its way from Veterans Funeral Care in Clearwater to a funeral service Tuesday morning.

The two employees stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts in New Port Richey around 8:50 a.m. Rob Carpenter, who was headed into the Dunkin' Donuts that morning, did a double take when he saw the hearse. Carpenter's own father served in the military, so he decided to confront the drivers.

He says Coleman's family, however, was surprisingly forgiving and didn't want the men to lose their jobs, even praising their work at the funeral.

The family says Coleman, who died at age 84, served one tour in Korea, two in Vietnam, and was the recipient of numerous medals from the military, including two Bronze Star Medals and two Army Commendation Medals.
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