Hundreds gather to honor ‘unaccompanied veterans’ laid to rest at DFW National Cemetery

DALLAS - Hundreds of mourners gathered Thursday to honor so-called “unaccompanied veterans” being laid to rest in Dallas.

A majority of those in the crowd did not know the 21 veterans, who were given a full military funeral at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.

The cremated remains of the veterans, who served in various branches of the military, were at the center of a rare service. The cemetery told FOX4 the medical examiner encouraged the occasion because a group of the veterans had chosen to donate their bodies to science.

Most of the vets either didn’t have relatives while others had family who were unable to attend. 

Four relatives, including Calvin Blankenship, found out about the service just in time to show up.  His uncle, his mother's brother, Kenneth Floyd, served in Korea.

“It's been many years. Like my dad he never really talked about his service during the Korean War so I can't really say much about that. He was a good man,” Calvin said.

Hundreds of people heard about the ceremony and responded.  Ashley Acevedo took a day off from work and drove from Denton.

"When you see the many people who turned out what does that do for you? Makes my heart feel joy. It's great,” Ashley Acevedo, US Army Operation Freedom III.

Chris Yancy and Marina Bone feel the same way.

"I was Air Force, she was a Marine,” Yancy said.

“We're both veterans so its near and dear,” Bone said. “No one should have nobody here, so I’m happy that there are quite a few people."