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Homeless Vietnam veteran given send-off at Newton cemetery

Meridian Star - 2/16/2019

Feb. 15--NEWTON -- Although Air Force veteran Roy Earl Nielsen died homeless and alone on Feb. 3 at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, he was surrounded by more than 40 people Friday when he was laid to rest at the Mississippi State Veterans Cemetery in Newton.

Patriot Guard Riders, veterans and community members gathered at the Mississippi State Veterans Cemetery Friday morning to honor Mr. Nielsen. Alea Werkheiser was among the many who visited the cemetery to pay their respects.

For the last five years, Werkheiser has searched frantically for Mr. Nielson, whom she met nearly two decades ago through his now-deceased sister, Alice. Those efforts, however, always proved unsuccessful. Last Wednesday, representatives from the Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home contacted her to inform her of Mr. Nielson's death.

"It was beautiful; I'm very grateful," Werkheiser said of the ceremony. "It's sad that he was homeless when he had family, per se, that would have helped him. But I'm glad that the veterans have come out. I'm very thankful and appreciative that he has the burial he deserved."

Mr. Nielsen was born in Brooklyn, New York, and joined the Air Force in 1967. He served in the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged on Sept. 4. 1973.

Terry McMillan was one of a dozen Patriot Guard Riders who traveled to Newton. McMillan, of Forest, was joined by motorcycle riders from Jackson, Brandon, Byram and Meridian. The group met at Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home in Flowood early Friday morning.

"Anytime there's a veteran who doesn't have family, they're going to call us," McMillan said. "We'll gather up as few or as many that we can to come out and to honor his service and to be his family. We're a brotherhood in the military, so that's how we get word on things."

As the ceremony drew to a close, Jayden Nowlin and Shacora Williams hoisted the American flag from atop Mr. Nielsen's pewter grey casket. The service members then stepped two paces from the casket, and Williams began the 13-step sequence to fold the crisp flag.

With each fold, Williams stepped slowly toward Nowlin. The clicking of camera shutters pierced the silence. When Williams completed her last fold, she handed the flag to Nowlin and raised her right hand in salute.

Williams then turned to his right and walked toward Werkheiser, who was seated in the front row. He dropped to one knee to present her with the flag that rested atop the casket of her long-lost friend.

Werkheiser, of Brandon, pulled out a handkerchief to dab tears.

Flags at the cemetery flew at half-staff and swayed in rhythm with the early morning breeze under the gray, overcast sky.

Stacey Pickering, executive director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board, said the agency hosts around six such events each year between the Mississippi State Veterans Cemetery and the North Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

"We try to make a much better effort of informing the public when we have these homeless veterans who don't have family here to say their final goodbyes," Pickering said. "As you can see today, we've had tremendous response and turnout... It's great to see such a great turnout to support and to say thank you to someone who has raised their right hand and took the oath of office to serve our nation, and who was willing to pay with their life."

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(c)2019 The Meridian Star (Meridian, Miss.)

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