8 months ago
Thursday, friends and family laid a veteran to rest for the second time in 40 years. Willie George Turner died while fighting in the Vietnam War. His family never forgot him, but they say when mother nature threw a surprise their way, they had to face his life and death again decades later. "He sort of looked after the little ones and made sure that we had respect for one another," said Sylvester Turner, Willie's younger brother. "He was strong and he helped to keep the house in order," said his sister, Carrie Arthur. Turner had 10 brothers and sisters. They remember him fondly, although they were little when they laid him to rest in Tharpe Cemetery in Warner Robins in 1969. As time passed, they grew up and trees in the cemetery grew taller. The Mother's Day storms of 2008 knocked over a massive tree at the grave site. The roots uprooted Turner's grave and left a mess. His sister Carrie Arthur tried raising money and getting help to repair the area to no avail. That's when she reached out to American Legion Post 594. "When a veteran's down, when a man's down, you've got to help him," said Darryl Mercer, the post's Commander. "They took it and it was their baby and they handled the situation. And as you can see they did a marvelous job," said Arthur. Mercer says Turner holds a special place in their hearts. The Turner Ragan American Legion Post is named after him. "We had an obligation to restore his grave to its original form," said Mercer. The post raised money and got Turner's grave repaired. More than a year later, family and friends held a reburial ceremony. "To finally have it done, it's closure again," said Arthur. "We know that he's resting in a better place," said Sylvester Turner. American Legion Post 594 raised $5,000 to repair the grave site. Adam's Tree Service removed the tree from the area and Nelson's Funeral Home provided a new vault and a casket. Commander Mercer says both companies donated their services, but the post insisted on paying them.
