NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Hundreds of people attended a funeral service Wednesday morning for a Navy veteran they have never met.
What started from a simple social media post, quickly became a huge gathering of veterans and others looking to honor Nashville native Don Harlow.
“This is the least we can do. This is what it’s all about,” said one veteran at the service.
Veterans from every branch and different wars, active service members, community members, biker clubs; total strangers, showed up Wednesday morning to support a man they never knew.
“I drove up here and I’m thinking, ‘Holy cripe! We’re parked a long way away from the service, and isn’t it great that so many showed,’” said Bob Schricker, president of Sumner County’s Vietnam Veterans Association.
Schricker described veterans of all ages as a “team” that will come together whenever the call is made.
The veteran they were remembering, Don Harlow, was born in Nashville in 1936. He served in the Navy and was stationed mostly in the Mediterranean.
Having outlived his wife and most of his friends, and with no children of his own, Harlow’s grandniece was concerned his funeral would be attended by just a few family members. So she shared the service details on Facebook, which quickly made waves.
In the end, and on short notice, over 300 people were at Harlow’s funeral on Wednesday.
“I did everything I could to tell everyone I knew– fans of veterans, veterans themselves, families of veterans– this was happening,” explained Steve Abramowicz, one of the community members who spread the word of the funeral. “And my heart is pretty warm right now that it actually got pulled off.”
Harlow’s brother spoke to the crowd, as did a longtime friend of his. The turnout, so large that some were forced to wait outside in the cold, was a surprise. But the love and respect for a man who served our country? That was expected.
“Just to come out here and park wherever, and climb up a hill in the bitter cold, sit out here, they don’t have to stand out here! None of us had to come out here and stand out here, but then again, some of us did have to come out here,” said Dennis Lee, a veteran who first heard of Harlow’s funeral from his sister, who lives in Seattle.
Lee made calls of his own to ensure people showed up for Harlow.
“We have our problems in this country, don’t get me wrong, we do have problems. But we can unify real quick over something important,” said Lee. “For every 4 or 5 people that won’t do something, 5 or 6 will. And I’m always impressed by people’s hearts.”
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“Family members that were here and the one’s that will see the pictures, will be like ‘woah.’ And it makes it a little easier for the transition,” added Lee.
News 2 spoke with Harlow’s family after the service.
They admitted they were “overwhelmed” by the response and how many strangers showed up to pay their respects. However, his niece told News 2 that Harlow was a “gregarious” man and would have loved having so many people in one place.
