William Reina may have died in central Arkansas with no family near, but the former soldier was surrounded by a few dozen people Friday who wanted to commemorate his life and give him a proper military sendoff.
Reina, 41, was an eight-year U.S. Army veteran who was deployed to Korea and other countries, according to his aunt, Lynne Reina Tobias. He served as a medic and combat engineer.
"He loved the Army," Tobias said. "He really did."
Reina moved to central Arkansas with his mother, Janet, after being medically discharged from military service. His mother has since died.
Reina, a native of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., loved the Army but carried his experience with him in other ways, too, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder on top of a bipolar disorder, according to Tobias.
Reina was found dead May 17 after missing a few Veterans Affairs appointments, Tobias said. His cause of death hasn't been determined.
Tobias and her husband, Bob, flew in from New Jersey to attend Reina's funeral at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock. Reina had lived in the city and attended Pulaski Technical College.
"Most of all, I will remember how hard he worked to right his life," Tobias told the funeral crowd, noting that Reina recently had been getting in shape and had lost 70 pounds.
He was proud of his military service, Bob Tobias said. Despite all his struggles Reina still believed he needed to look after his fellow soldiers. He even volunteered after being medically discharged.
Also among the mourners were members of different military groups in Arkansas who'd heard Reina didn't have any family in the area when he died. They lined up after the service to shake hands and offer condolences to the Tobiases, who had been presented with a U.S. flag in honor of Reina's service.
Local officials and military groups -- including the American Legion, the Patriot Guard and the Veterans of Foreign Wars -- frequently turn out for funerals of veterans who die without family nearby.
It's so no soldier or member of the military is buried alone, said Maj. Jeremy Miller, a chaplain who does numerous funerals in Arkansas.
"No veteran ..." Mack Fortney, a chaplain with the Disabled American Veterans in Little Rock, began before putting his hand to his face and turning away, his eyes turning red.
"No veteran left behind," he meant to say, as he later told the Tobiases.
Metro on 06/04/2016