Homeless Viet Vet Alone & Found Frozen In Park, Then U.S. Marines Show Up

Homeless Viet Vet Alone & Found Frozen In Park, Then U.S. Marines Show Up

A middle-aged Illinois Vietnam veteran tragically died in one of the most depressing ways imaginable; by freezing to death while homeless and alone in a makeshift shack tucked away in a Lincoln Marsh park, by choice. He was off the public’s radar, and grid forgotten and family-less ...it was said he was here looking for his wife and daughter who left him flat out high and dry in Orlando FL. His death could have easily been overlooked by the community and chalked up to another unfortunate end for a vagrant, but a local newspaper did something simple, which resulted in an amazing show of honor. ( The names herein has been change or omitted, to protect the innocents and guilty involved. )

'I remember him well' said a friend, 'I met him in Afghanistan where he was activated and serving for the National Guard as a NYPD Officer on leave. I helped him with his laptop computer, by downloading a password cracker and open it up to where he was before he forgot his password.' He 'didn't carry a gun or rifle because he has seizures from time to time,' he said.

John Anthony Silva, 66, was a Vietnam war veteran who had become homeless as a result of PTSD, a stroke and a variety of other health issues, according to his brother Anthony Silva, who is the deceased’s only long lost & found supposed, family member. He succumbed to the freezing temperatures, but when a local paper learned of his sudden passing, they decided to publish several articles about his death, petitioning for the public’s help in giving Silva the honorable send off he deserves for his service to this country, Fox9 reported.

Dozens of people in the Wheaton Center, Wheaton IL area offered to help provide an incredible funeral for this abandoned homeless man. A local funeral home offered their facility, staff, and services for free, and a church said they would supply not only the music for the service, but a beautiful memorial as well.

Then the United States Marine Corps stepped up to the plate to make sure this soldier got a military funeral with full honors at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery near Chicago, complete with a 21-gun salute from the Honor Guard.

“Some of us knew John. We were saddened and shocked to hear of his death,” said Pastor Brian Scoles of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, a church near the park where John died. “Truth be told, his death was tragic. We don’t have to pretend otherwise. Dying homeless in a park during a bitterly cold winter is sad and a tragic way to die.”

It took the newspaper substantial effort to track down Anthony, who was finally found in Massachusetts. He was the only family member they could locate and as such he was Silva's only relative in attendance at his funeral. But the community members made up the difference with their huge, generous, and patriotic hearts.

“This is overwhelming to me,” Anthony told Fox 9. “It’s overwhelming.” Anthony described that he was incredibly touched by the service and all the effort that went into making it happen for a man many have disregarded over the years, as he suffered in homelessness. He received the flag from his brother’s casket and will hold on to it forever as a special reminder of the man his brother truly was behind the mental illness that caused his unfortunate circumstances.

With approximately 50,000 homeless vets in the U.S., the issue is far greater than most want to admit, and the deep flaws within Veterans Affairs contribute to it. These heroes risk their lives, only to return from war to face an internal battle that can be greater than the fight against our nation’s enemies. They deserve better than that and this community and the USMC proved that they will leave no man behind.

This msg was sent out posthumously...
Have GR8 LIFE!

( "Spokes" gives it a mixed rating, story couldn't be corroborated )

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