The 100th Unaccompanied Texas Veteran who died alone to be honored

Please join us to honor the life and service of Unaccompanied @USArmy Veteran PFC Billy Noel Myrick on Thursday, March 3 at 11 a.m. SHARP at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in #Killeen.

PFC Myrick will be the 100th Unaccompanied Veteran buried at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery. If you have the opportunity, please come out and attend. We do NOT leave #TexasVeterans behind

Texas State Veterans Cemeteries are special resting places, close to home, where friends, family and fellow Texans can honor Texas Veterans. The sacrifices they laid upon the altar of freedom will never be diminished or forgotten.

The Unaccompanied Veterans Program was implemented in January 2015, for eligible Veterans with no known next-of-kin or those with next-of-kin who are unable to attend, to ensure standard interment procedures with military honors at Texas State Veterans Cemeteries. Prior to the implementation of this program, Veterans were brought into the cemetery and provided “direct no witness” burials. This meant their remains were brought to the cemetery and directly buried or interred with no honors or recognition of their military service.

All eligible Veterans are now interred with honor and dignity, regardless of where they may have found themselves in life. The absence of next-of-kin may occur for a variety of reasons, to include but not limited to:

• The Veteran’s next-of-kin may have died and survivors cannot be located.
• The Veteran may have separated themselves from next-of-kin due to family discord.
• The Veteran may suffer from mental illness or other health issues leading to societal isolation.

Texas State Veterans Cemeteries follow a standard protocol to schedule burial services for Unaccompanied Veterans. This includes cultivating relationships with community stakeholders including funeral homes, county services, local judges and Patriot Guard Riders to ensure all eligible Veterans are given honorable and dignified burial services at each cemetery. While notice times vary, the Texas Veterans Land Board issues an advisory to the community upon notice of an Unaccompanied Veteran Burial.

Local communities have provided significant and overwhelming support for the Unaccompanied Veterans Program, with considerable public attendance at services to honor the Veteran during this last rite of passage. The Unaccompanied Veterans Program stands as a testament to the respect and understanding these communities have to the value of the military family. Together as a community, we can guarantee that NO Veteran is EVER left behind.

The staff at our Texas State Veterans Cemeteries are there to help each Texas Veteran and their family at their time of need. 

Texas State Veterans Cemeteries are built through a partnership between the state of Texas and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and are managed by the Texas Veterans Land Board. They complement the six national cemeteries in Dallas-Ft. Worth, El Paso, Houston, Kerrville and San Antonio (2). Burial benefits at Texas State Veterans Cemeteries are identical to those for VA National Cemeteries.