KILLEEN, Texas (AP) - The death of a U.S. Air Force veteran with no known family and whose Central Texas funeral was not expected to bring any visitors has drawn the attention of a state agency.
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush in a statement encouraged the public to attend the service Monday for Joseph Walker at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen.
Walker served four years in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. Officials didn’t indicate when he died or the circumstances of his death. His service is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
A spokeswoman for the Land Office told KVUE-TV in Austin that efforts began in 2015 to ensure a proper burial for “unaccompanied veterans.”
Prior to that, a veteran’s burial was up to the discretion of a county judge and could result in cremation and the remains being placed in storage.
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