Local veterans’ organizations and county leaders honored two unaccompanied veterans in Nueces County, ensuring no one is forgotten—even without family present.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — At the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery, dozens gathered this week to honor two men many had never met, united by a shared belief that no veteran should be buried alone.

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An unaccompanied military burial is held when a deceased veteran has no known family members or loved ones able to attend their funeral.

In these cases, veteran service organizations, county officials and community volunteers step in to ensure the veteran receives full military honors and is not laid to rest alone. The goal is to recognize their service and uphold the military tradition that no service member is ever forgotten.

Marine veteran Sgt. (Ret.) JJ De La Cerda, director of Veteran and Social Services for Nueces County, helped organize the unaccompanied military burial for Corporal Richard Banks and Private Michael Bucklin. Neither had known family members present, but that absence did not go unnoticed.

“It means that we honor a veteran that deserves to be honored regardless of the situation,” De La Cerda said. “It means that another veteran has a witness. It means that we don’t leave anyone behind.”

De La Cerda said many veterans who receive unaccompanied burials have struggled after their military service, including homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder and involvement with the criminal justice system. He emphasized those circumstances do not diminish their service or sacrifice.

“Some of them may be homeless,” De La Cerda said. “A lot of these veterans go through things. They go to combat, they have PTSD and maybe they make mistakes throughout their lives, but that doesn’t denigrate their service. They deserve to be honored just like every one of us does.”

Nueces County Sheriff J.C. Hooper also attended the service, noting that a significant portion of the county’s homeless population consists of military veterans. He said as many as 400 veterans are booked into the Nueces County Jail each year.

“A significant part of our homeless population here in Corpus Christi are military veterans,” Hooper said.

Hooper said his office works closely with local veteran service organizations to ensure incarcerated or unhoused veterans are connected with resources — and to help prevent unaccompanied burials whenever possible.

“We provide not only the medical, the mental, three meals per day, but we also connect with the veteran services here in our community,” Hooper said.

Members of the Patriot Guard Riders of South Texas stood in honor during the service, providing a visible show of support. Assistant Deputy State Ride Captain Samuel F. Ramirez said being present matters, especially when no relatives are able to attend.

“This brother or sister did not have anybody to be with him,” Ramirez said. “It’s very important that we can be here as part of the family.”

De La Cerda said veterans who need assistance — including housing, mental health services, benefits guidance or other support — are encouraged to connect with local resources through the Veterans Round Table Corpus Christi Facebook group.

Community members are also encouraged to attend upcoming unaccompanied military burials scheduled for next Friday at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The services are open to the public.