Thousands of strangers attend funeral for veteran with no family

KILLEEN, Texas (KTRK) -- Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, Texas, asked strangers to attend a military veteran's funeral, and the community did not disappoint.

In a Facebook post on Jan. 24, Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery announced the burial of Air Force veteran, Joseph Walker.

The cemetery invited the public to attend, including that Walker was unaccompanied, with the patriotic message, "We do NOT leave Veterans behind."

When the post gained traction, many shared it, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

He tweeted, "Air Force Veteran Joseph Walker will be laid to rest Monday, and no one is expected to attend. The cemetery said they do not know where his family is and they do not want him to be laid to rest alone, so they are asking the public to attend"

He continued his tweet with the date and location of the burial for those interested in showing up and paying their respects.

At the burial on Monday morning, an estimated 2,000 strangers showed up to pay their respects.

On Facebook, Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery livestreamed the service, including that they were overwhelmed by all the love and support.

Their livestream currently has over 41,200 views on Facebook.