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World War II Veteran Andrew Moore Receives Proper Burial Thanks to Neighbors

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Sometimes we hear stories that help to restore our faith in humanity, and this is one of those stories.

World War II veteran Andrew Moore passed away in December of 2015 of heart failure at the age of 89. Having no living family or friends to claim his body, he was lying in the D.C. medical examiner’s office until April 2016 when he was finally able to be honorably buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

How did this happen? Moore’s body was claimed by neighbors who hardly knew him but arranged for him to be interred at Arlington with full military honors. Two of Moore’s neighbors, Bill Sheppard and Nick Addams, didn’t know much about him but knew he deserved the honor of a proper burial and ceremony.

All residents of a rent-controlled apartment building in D.C., Sheppard and Addams had spoken with Moore briefly on several occasions, but didn’t know much about his life. They knew that he had served in the Navy and the Coast Guard, was an orphan at Boys Town in 1942, and loved the Redskins.

According to the Washington Post, when Sheppard and Addams found out about Moore’s passing, they snapped into action to start the process of trying to get him buried in Arlington. They wrote up an appeal for funds that they hung on each door in the apartment building, eventually gathering $2,000 that more than covered costs.

They also had to go through the Pentagon to get Moore’s service records. All of the hard work by Sheppard and Addams paid off, though, and they were finally given the approval for Moore’s ashes to be placed in Arlington.

On April 8, 2016, Andrew Moore received the ceremony he so rightfully deserved, with Sheppard being presented the folded flag and Addams receiving the bag of the 21 shells fired.

Thank you for your service, Andrew Moore. And, thank you, Bill Sheppard and Nick Addams for being exceptional human beings.