This post was originally intended to be a Bat signal post requesting information and assistance locating anyone connected to the deceased. Instead, I am happy to say that it is a testament to the power of the interwebs and the comforting knowledge that there are those who DO still give a damn.

Just last week a gentleman in the Dallas area was mowing his yard, a seemingly innocuous and mundane chore, when he came upon what should be considered a treasure to us all: the marker of a veteran’s grave. Though broken into four pieces, this serendipitous find was fortunately (or divinely) still legible.

Within a few days of the photograph’s posting, the following information was obtained and a grandson of his located:

Birth: Jul. 30, 1895
Death: Sep. 15, 1961

Texas
Private

U.S Army
World War I

Name: Fred Mcmillan
Event Date: 15 Sep 1961
Event Place: Dallas, Dallas, Texas
Gender: Male
Race (Original): Negro
Age (Formatted): 66 years
Birth Year (Estimated):
Birth Date: 30 Jul 1895
Birthplace: Centerville, Texas
Marital Status: Married
Spouse’s Name:
Father’s Name: Billy Mcmillan
Father’s Birthplace:
Mother’s Name: Lucy Horn
Mother’s Birthplace:
Occupation: Serv. Sta. Attendant
Residence Place: Dallas, Dallas, Texas
Cemetery (Original): Shady Grove Cemetery
Burial Place: Centerville, Leon, Texas
Burial Date: 20 Sep 1961
Informant’s Name (Original):
GS Film number: 2116791
Digital Folder Number: 4166597
Image Number: 3148
Reference ID: cn 50553

Further reading on ancestry.com reveals that Mr. McMillan’s son, Bruce, applied for the headstone when he passed away in a VA hospital in 1961.

Whether broken by accident, vandalism, or natural disaster, I am struck that a five decades-old headstone was found in such pristine condition that the veteran’s family was able to be located so expeditiously. I am also reminded that this is the headstone of a veteran of the Great War who died an attendant at a gas station. A black man in 1961, a service station attendant- and we are afforded the opportunity to show gratitude for his service nearly a century later.

If that isn’t a reminder to treat others with respect and take no one for granted, I don’t know what is. You don’t know what roads he may have traveled.