‘This is our brotherhood’: Bikers gather to lay veteran with no family to rest

When Vietnam War veteran David Shea passed away, there was no local family to put him to rest. But a group of bikers proved there was still a community for Shea when they escorted his body to Massachusetts Veteran Memorial Cemetery in Winchendon Friday.

Shea, an Army Private, was buried alongside an estimated 4,000 fellow veterans. Although Shea had no family members in attendance, the bikers, many of them veterans themselves, made sure empty seats were scarce at the memorial service.

“He was a homeless veteran. We have no idea who he was. He had been to the veterans shelters before for help,” one biker told Boston 25. “We are here to show the love and the support for all veterans.”

“It’s the responsibility of others like me to make sure he gets the sendoff he deserves,” another biker said. “There’s no veteran in this country that should be buried alone.

Lauren Wright, a healthcare navigator at Veterans Inc., was among those in attendance and urged people to show kindness to those who served.

“Maybe the next time someone is stuck at a red light and a veteran is walking by with a homeless veteran sign, maybe stop and say hello. See what their story is,” urged Wright.

After Shea’s body was laid to rest, the bikers made it clear that they would do for others what they did for Shea.

“This is our brotherhood. This is what we do. This is what we’ve always done. No matter what it is. When someone needs help, we’re there for him.”

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