He was a homeless veteran that no one knew. But once he died he got the funeral sendoff that not even he would have expected.
Stephen Reiman served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam but died in a local hospital in Casper, Wyoming, on November 17.
Locals didn’t know him so the Natrona County coroner’s office asked for help in finding his loved ones and asked community members to attend the funeral. They eventually successful and found Reiman’s sister, Diane.
"I'm just so grateful," she said. "I never, ever expected a turnout like this."
The large crowd attended the funeral Tuesday at the Wyoming Veterans Cemetery.
Experts say as many as 50,000 American veterans roam through the streets in search of shelter as men and women returning from military service often run into trouble reconnecting with civilian life.
“Every vet deserves what we’re doing today,” said veteran Mike Simmons who attended Reiman’s funeral. “It our honor for those of us still here to do this for the vets.”
