Robert Brooks gets dignity he deserved
Last month we talked about Robert Brooks whose earthly remains were found inside a suitcase in a field in Arkansas. His body had been dumped there so his caretakers could continue to get his social security checks. Brooks had been a turret gunner on B-17s during World War II and he didn’t deserve the grave that his caretakers had planned for him.
Chief Tango sends us link to the Washington Post which reports that the Patriot Guards made sure that Mr Brooks went home in style;
They listened to Taps in Little Rock and lined up to salute the urn that carried Brooks’s ashes before escorting him to the Tennessee border, where a fresh batch of Patriot Guard Riders joined the procession.
And so it went, through Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, toward their final destination, Fort Jackson National Cemetery in South Carolina, where the remains, an American flag and Bible signed by the Patriot Guard captains who carried him there, were given to Jay, [Robert’s son,] in a reunion 10 years overdue.
Two more people have been arrested in New York State for the abuse of Mr Brook’s corpse in addition to the two who were arrested in Arkansas.
Category: Veterans in the news
Good job by the Patriot Guard.
Sure got dusty in here.
Good. May the neglect he suffered from them be visited on them.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Brooks.
You are finally getting your much deserved, honorable resting place, Mr. Brooks. Thank you for your service and my apology for those who treated you so poorly. You deserved much better than you received.
Rest Brother, rest.
See you in a while.
RIP, sir.
And here’s hoping the four (so far) suffer greatly in this world before being greeted by Satan and the pineapple treatment.
Amen!
RIP sir.
Good on them boys and girls in the PGR.
That’s some great work right there, well done PGR, well done indeed.
Rest in Peace Mr. Brooks, you’ve earned it.
BZ to the PG for making sure that Mr. Brooks was laid to rest with the dignity and respect that he deserved!
As for the four that abused Mr. Brooks corpse… there’s a place in the poundyourinthe ass prison and Hell for what you did to him…
I agree and may they be there very soon.
Rest in peace, sir.
Rest Well Warrior…
See you on the other side
I remain unconvinced that this Veteran was a B-17 turret gunner and I am trusting that he was, in fact, a Veteran. The news accounts of this horrid and despicable matter use only one person to jump to the certainty of the nature of Brooks’ service. That same person called him a “war hero” too. Meanwhile. No one can cite to a record of that wartime service. Even his own son says this on his GoFundMe page: “He served in the United States Air Force during World War II as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 bomber, I was informed; the most dangerous aircrew job in the war.” He was informed? That wasn’t a carelessly spoken remark but a drafted statement on the GFM page. I know that Robert Brooks was said to be born in 1927 and that it is not impossible that he served as a turret gunner. The problem is that I found another Robert Brooks who lived in Upstate NY who was a WWII turret gunner. And someone, I suspect, did some sloppy Googling.As for the Post’s acct, it is curious what the acct omits. Another news source reported that Mr. Brooks was laid to rest at the SC cemetery when his son walked out of there with the ashes and still need money to bury his father. Does any of this matter? Perhaps not.
It appears as if this reporter actually obtained Mr. Brooks’ military records:
Army records show that PFC Robert D. Brooks, 89, served in the U.S. Army Air Force from June 14, 1945 until Dec. 23, 1946. He served nine months, and 16 days in the European Theater of Operations during World War II in the 92nd Air Repair Squadron as a firefighter.
His many awards and commendations include the Army Of Occupation Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and a lapel button.
http://www.desototimes.com/news/ride-of-his-life-for-world-war-ii/article_615aaa58-1ec1-11e7-b9f5-8ba005d5f085.html
Nice work! Finally. He enlisted AFTER the war in Europe had ended AND he was a PFC firefighter. Bingo. Thank you ever so much, MrBill. I owe you one. It truly is what I suspected–that he served BUT…
De nada. 🙂
And this is a problem. It is not enough that a Veteran’s remains were mistreated as Mr. Brooks’ remains were. Someone has to make him a WW II ball turret gunner and war hero. The story than has some serious legs and one after another media member repeats what another incorrectly said. And that extends to the WAPo, whose reporter played obvious games in how he chose to write the story–suggesting something that, I suspect, he knew dam well to be false.
May all the perps involved in this fraud and abuse be buried up to their knees……head first.
I’ll tell you what I think happened. The original and sole source of the war hero and ball turret gunner tall tale (a member of a police dept) made an honest mistake, confusing one Brooks with another. The newsies jumped on it and it soon became fact because it was so often repeated. At one point or another, I’m betting a newsie or two looked into it and all but one said, “I’m not going to ruin a good story with the actual facts.” At various points, others knew, too, but kept quiet. The son certainly knew, and that’s why he wrote “I was informed” on his begging page. It made me more suspicious of him when I read how he and his Dad lost touch over the years, but I’ll leave that one alone. The funeral director probably knew, too, as did whatever office checked his VA benefit eligibility. The shame of it does not reflect on Mr. Robert Brooks who did his duty and earned the tag “Veteran.”
Kinda like everyone wants to be Infantry but no one wants to do that whole Infantry thing first……
I”m a little confused. MrBill dug up the proof and you seemed to accept it but in 2 subsequent posts it seems you don’t. Are you saying he served in WW2 but not as a tail gunner or that he didn’t serve at all?
That’s what I got out of it, jonp. Others making claims about him that it appears Mr. Brooks did not is no honor to Mr. Brooks or anyone else.
I’m confused that you’re confused. Mr. Brooks was a US Army Veteran who enlisted during WW II after the war in Europe ended. He was not a war hero. He was not a ball turret gunner, let alone a tail gunner, wherever that came from. Once the false acct of his service was published, it was picked up by wire services and repeated and repeated. No one who knew the truth dared to set the record straight, including his estranged son. The war hero aspect made a sensational story super sensational and no one wanted to bother with fact. No one, that is, except Reporter Mike Lee, of the world-renowned Desoto Times, who evidently looked at Mr. Brooks’ records and reported his actual dates of service and his military job.
Praise God for Robert Brooks and Thank God for the those who honored this veteran.
I’ve had the honor of doing this with PGR. It’s gratifying to know that one of our “forgotten” Vets gets the respect he/she deserves.
Well done PGR. Thank you for giving this man the honor he earned.
Rest now, sir, in peace.
Welcome home, Gunner. God rest ye well.
Rest In Peace Sir.
May the perps ROT IN DANK CELLS for the remainder of their shitty lives.
Obviously, there was an ID error in there somewhere, but the man still served his country honorably, and was treated in a horrible manner. Can you imagine the remains of someone YOU cared about disposed of like that? Disgusting. Good on the Patriot Guard, and those who helped do the right thing for another vet.