Social media unites 250 to attend Texas funeral of 'lone veteran' with no family

CaptionCloseAbout 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov. 30, 2016. About 250 people gathered...

24 February 2017 Friday 18:09
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Social media unites 250 to attend Texas funeral of 'lone veteran' with no family

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About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov. 30, 2016. 

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov.

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov. 30, 2016. 

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov.

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov. 30, 2016. 

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov.

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov. 30, 2016. 

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov.

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov. 30, 2016. 

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov.

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov. 30, 2016. 

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have Holiganbet any blood family members to attend his services on Nov.

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov. 30, 2016. 

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov.

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov. 30, 2016. 

About 250 people gathered at the Killeen funeral of Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army veteran, when the local newspaper announced the man did not have any blood family members to attend his services on Nov.

Social media united yesterday to honor a 61-year-old Army veteran who died without any known family members to attend his Central Texas funeral. 

Galen Bruce Pearson, a 23-year Army vet, was buried at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, about 2 hours north of San Antonio,  on Wednesday, according to the Killeen Daily Herald. 

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The newspaper's Facebook page announced Pearson's story on Tuesday, and "word quickly passed around the nation that  lone veteran needed his extended family to provide his military honors at his funeral," the site said. 

Nearly 400 people shared the post, ultimately reaching numerous military group Facebook pages as far as California, according to the Daily Herald. 

RELATED: Army veteran dies days after final wish of seeing his horses was granted at San Antonio hospital

A day later, 250 people including "dozens" of uniformed active-duty members helped lay Pearson to rest. 

"No soldier, no person — but especially a soldier who served this country — should be buried alone," said Sgt. 1st Class Sean Arnold with Fort Hood's 1st Medical Brigade told the newspaper. "This is never about 'I' or 'me,' it's about 'us.' It's bigger than the organization. It's about the brotherhood and sisterhood we have with one another."

RELATED: Texas teens line street to grace classmate's funeral procession with this moving tribute

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