A veteran was laid to rest in Colorado Springs Friday. While the rest of us were trying to maneuver a commute or keep kids entertained on a snow day, a group of 350-400 people showed up at Pikes Peak National Cemetery.
Those people answered a call. A call to honor an unaccompanied veteran with no close family members- Staff Sgt. Clyde Baldwin (USAF Retired). Baldwin served in the USAF from 1950 to 1970.
Today he brought together strangers who made sure his life and service were not forgotten.
From one mourner on Facebook:
It turns out Staff Sgt. Clyde Baldwin had one last thing to do for us before he left. He brought together men and women, young and old, rich and poor, to show us in this day of division that compassion and love for complete strangers still exists. He managed to bring hundreds of us together, outside in the middle of a snowstorm in the dead of winter in Colorado, to prove to us that the best of us is still here. He reminded us of our humanity
We came from all walks of life and all around the area, our reasons for attending overlapping. We came to pay our respects, to say a prayer, to lower his casket into the cold, wintry ground with warmth in our hearts. We lose vets every day who think no one cares. We came to say we do. You are not forgotten. We came to say thank you to all those who have served, are serving and will serve so that we may enjoy our prosperous lives and freedoms. We came so that an elderly man would not be laid to rest alone.
Staff Sgt. Clyde Baldwin, we came to say we are forvever indebted and eternally grateful.
May you Rest in Peace.
