This just in from the great state of Texas: 2,000 mourners gathered at the funeral of a U.S. Air Force veteran yesterday. It’s a high number of people, for sure, but what makes the event so notable is the fact that the deceased, Joseph Walker, did not know ANY of the folks who were in attendance.

You see, the funeral, which occurred in Killeen, Texas, was going to be quite the lonely one, as Walker did not have any friends or family members to speak of. When the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetary got wind of this special burial, it took to its Facebook page to spread the word…

And, just three days after the initial post had been made, Texas vets and other supporters proved that they do not, in fact, “leave Veterans behind.” While the cemetery did make the plea in earnest, we’re willing to bet that its workers were floored when they saw THIS line of cars approaching on Monday morning…

Killeen, Texas: A line of cars stretching for miles to attend the funeral of an Air Force Veteran with no family.. after fears he would be buried with no one attending. pic.twitter.com/IC5z7IlDjh

— Janet Shamlian (@JanetShamlian) January 28, 2019

One of the community members in attendance, Karina Erickson, Texas General Land Office communications director, had this to say about the event: “It’s completely overwhelming. This is something you kind of hear about on the news, and you don’t really expect to be a part of it. You don’t expect the community to turn out in such numbers for someone that they don’t know.”

It makes us so sad to think that this man did not have people close to him in his golden years, but it’s wonderful to know that so many people were able to connect over his funeral. RIP Joseph Walker!

We’d love to hear your take on this heartwarming story. Are you surprised that so many people came out to a stranger’s funeral? Have you ever done something similar before? If so, what was your experience like?