Military funeral held for forgotten vet

UPI.com: Military funeral held for forgotten vet

MARION, Ind., May 24 (UPI) -- A funeral was held Tuesday for an Indiana Vietnam War veteran who had committed suicide and whose corpse remained unclaimed for months, officials said.

Nearly 100 people, including fellow veterans and a motorcycle group, attended the funeral service at Marion National Cemetery for Kenneth Earl Taylor Jr., of Marion, The Indianapolis Star reported.

The Star said it had featured Taylor's story in an article, "A Life Lived," which caused many to attend the funeral in an outpouring of sympathy and respect for the former soldier.

Taylor served in Vietnam as an intelligence analyst and earned the National Defense Service, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign and Good Conduct medals, the Star reported. His body was found Nov. 9 in his rented duplex.

Unclaimed bodies usually are cremated but the Marion County coroner, while trying to find family members, discovered Taylor had been in the military. Taylor qualified for burial at the expense of the government, the newspaper said.

Taylor was estranged from his family, which included three siblings and nieces and nephews, the Star said.

Family members said they would not attend his funeral and would not take responsibility for his remains.

The funeral was a half hour long and Taylor was presented with full military honors, including a 21-gun salute and a bugler playing "Taps."

Many of the attendees wept during the service, the newspaper said.