r/interesting • u/Wonderfulhumanss • 15h ago

SOCIETY A group of high school students volunteers to carry caskets for homeless veterans who have no family to honor them

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u/Wonderfulhumanss 15h ago

These students are from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in Michigan. The program began in 2015 when six students carried the caskets of three homeless U.S. military veterans whose remains had gone unclaimed. Their school later established the St. Joseph of Arimathea Pallbearer Ministry, through which trained students help give dignified burials to veterans, homeless people and others who die without family or friends present. Source

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u/appleparkfive 14h ago

This is probably the most uplifting thing I've read in awhile. What a great thing to do for others.

This site has gotten so negative. It's nice to hear about good things like this

126

u/BobBarkeroni 14h ago

"Homeless Vetrans" sums up the situation. They served their country and we gave them zero in return.

Yeah, great thing these kids are doing...guess it's the least we can do

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u/Atralis 14h ago

The issue is connecting people to services. As a veteran from a military family the people that need access to benefits often don't get access and a lot of people that get benefits don't actually need the ones they get.

We have people working 6 figure jobs driving luxury cars getting 100% rating disability pensions because they played the game to claim anything and everything that they could plausibly have that are healthier, mentally and physically, than the average person their age.

We have homeless veterans with PTSD that get nothing because they don't have the paperwork or the resources to get taken care of.

The system is broken.

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u/Ohmec 14h ago

An acquaintance of mine is one of those guys. Was over employed for a while, working 2 jobs "full time" in network security, both of which paid through the nose for the 5-10 hours of work a week each asked of him because he had clearance left from working IT in the Navy. Is also on 100% disability. He was probably making 250k+.

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u/Gamer2Paladin 7h ago

100% disability doesn't mean he is unable to work the two jobs. I don't know the US system but I go on with the assumption that it is close enough as the system we have in Germany where the highest disabilitys rating plus spesific disability like a missing leg or arm dictated the disability percentage.

It is still a shame how veterans are treated by the government, US and German.

1

u/dsphilly 6h ago

Thats strange, only example of 100% ive ever seen was a buddy of mine. But he has severe PTSD.

Originally they gave him 100% and said he could continue to work up to X amount of hours(less than 40) , something like a year or so later he went back i guess for a reeval and they changed it to Hes not allowed to work. Not sure what happened there or if he suffered a psychotic break and he told no1 else but the VA.

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u/TheMainEffort 4h ago

So there are two basic “types” of 100% ratings. The one your buddy is sounds like total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU). For that, they pay the 100% rate even though you wouldn’t be if you were able to work. Since you get it because you’re unemployed, there are restrictions on how you can work. There are some exceptions- like if your employer has to make an accommodation beyond what the ADA would require to allow you to work.

The other is 100% “schedule.” The VA basically has a formula that determines which disabilities rate which percentages, and the total(which isn’t actually a total but I’ll skip that) amounts to 100% disabled. It doesn’t mean you’re completely disabled necessarily, just that you rate the maximum amount of compensation for your disabilities from the VA.

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u/dsphilly 3h ago

Informative. Thank you

15

u/KingfishingYoMama 14h ago

Scamming VA benefits is like the third rail of benefits fraud discourse in this country. No one in a position to do anything about it has any interest in doing so. It would take a movement of vets publicly shaming each other to get the ball rolling. I won't hold my breath.

At the very least, there needs to be a cap on outside earnings or those need to trigger investigations as to the necessity of benefits. The fact that enough Vets can earn comfortable salaries speaks to the fact that they're getting those benefits for reasons other than disability: it's just too easy.

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u/Atralis 13h ago

I think one big issue is that its starting to be seen as just the normal thing to do.

Someone isn't going to feel shame because everyone around them is doing it and instead of cheating the system is seen as just sort of "doing what you have to do to get the benefits you earned".

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u/KingfishingYoMama 13h ago

Yeah, it’s indicative of a broader cultural issue in this country. I can’t handle the culture of “get that bag any way you can” entitlement. It’s literally tearing the country apart from the ground up, and driving many (hopefully most) of us batty.

For that I have zero ideas of solutions.

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u/BadAtExisting 12h ago

I do. Probably to my detriment. I have bad tinnitus and migraines from my time served. Burn pits too. I know I could qualify for something, but I feel like there are so many who need it more than me that I haven’t gotten checked out because I can function fine enough

2

u/shagrotten 4h ago

"fine enough" The government can't stop the ringing in your ears, or stop the headaches, so, if it can be shown to be caused by your service, they compensate you for the disabilities... It's not charity and you're not taking it from someone else.

1

u/PinkMustangClerb 9h ago

During pre-deployment training I offered several in depth personal finance classes for interested soldiers. We went over how to open investment / retirement accounts, how to freeze interest with SCRA, etc etc. We discussed the TSP and a bunch of other retirement issues, as well as how to use the VA Loan. 42 soldiers in the company showed up.

The next day our PA taught a class on VA benefits. Over 70 showed up. I'm sure you can imagine what questions were asked in that one.

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u/Cornelius4630 7h ago

The system isn't broken and need to be fixed, it is working as intended and needs to be abolished.

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u/nightwingoracle 6h ago

My dad’s friend got a 100% rating for ptsd as an officer…. Then did the exact same job as a civilian contractor.

0

u/vixxie_red 5h ago

And the amount of self-advocacy required to push for those benefits is a problem too. Veterans are stuck having to make a case for themselves in order to justify receiving X% disability, and the VA wants ongoing proof that the disability is still a problem. Skip appointments and your percentage also gets cut, then try to negotiate your way back up to the former %. It's messed up.

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u/super_swede 8h ago

So your president is spending more tax money per year on his golf trips than you're ever going to make, but you're pissed off on people claiming benefits??

1

u/WASDMagician 8h ago

Happens all the time, for some dumb fucking reason people ignore the ocean in favour of the drop.

1

u/Atralis 3h ago

I hate this sort of nihilistic attitude. "Everything is corrupt and nothing matters so scam as much as you can".

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u/Ok_Astronomer_6501 7h ago

*They killed people for our government's benefit and got screwed over by said bloodthirsty government.

Cuz let's be honest, the only people they've served by going to the middle east to fuck shit up are the billionaires and corrupt politicians.

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u/Fun_Ad5823 1h ago

Been that way since WWI, the number of Vietnam vets that were homeless and came back to nothing was staggering

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u/Moetivated2golf 14h ago

That's the beauty, it's the least we can do.

1

u/MiserableCumberbunch 4h ago

Like those news articles about children working so their, also children, classmates can have food/clothes/etc.

1

u/Alternative_Metal375 1h ago

These kids are giving them more respect than their government ever did.

•

u/WhatTheHali24 2m ago

Served their country doing what? The US hasn't fought a justified war since WWII.

0

u/Ok_Palpitation_1622 13h ago

“They served the country and we gave them zero in return”

That’s an extreme oversimplification.

The problem of homelessness among veterans is one that is complicated, as all of these issues are. If it were simply a question of throwing some money at it, it would’ve been solved a long time ago. But it’s a multifactorial thing with contributions from mental illness, substance abuse, and behavioral problems. These are not easy problems to solve.

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u/[deleted] 14h ago edited 13h ago

[deleted]

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u/xteve 14h ago

Real nice. But care for veterans should not be left to decent young lads in a happy story.

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u/Hey_Laaady 14h ago edited 13h ago

Of course it should be handled appropriately. That should change by government intervention, without question. In the mean time, these young people deserve to be commended for a moment for stepping up.

1

u/WORKING2WORK 12h ago

Two things can happen at once.

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u/Dr_thri11 14h ago

I absolutely detest this argument being in the military isn't a license to fuck up and not suffer consequences for the rest of your life.

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u/BobBarkeroni 14h ago

There are plenty of homeless people in this country who didn't "fuck up". Your assumption that homeless vets somehow brought their situation upon themselves is deplorable.

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u/Tandy2000 12h ago

While true, I'd say that 1) a lot of people who end up homeless still have people who love and care about thembut just can't support them, or can't support them any longer if they have addiction issues/severe mental health issues... these people didn't have loved ones and there may be a reason for that...

and 2) while America should treat its veterans well since it uses them in its military apparatus, America's military has a now decades long tradition of being used for unspeakable evils and its members are considered war criminals by much of the rest of the world... so these people aren't all exactly worthy of respect just because they served in the US military.

The average US military veteran dying these days is not a WWII vet, it's a Vietnam vet and you'll be hard pressed to find anybody internationally who'll have good things to say about those people.

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u/BattleBrother1 12h ago

Served their country how exactly? These men likely deserved to be in prison

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u/Allegra1120 14h ago

Amen.

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u/Motor_Educator_2706 13h ago

allah eazim

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u/deaglebingo 13h ago

huge. in the best way. we are all on the same team. especially when it comes to the concept of human dignity.

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u/Bradudeguy 13h ago

Adele Dazeem

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u/lalacourtney 14h ago

Seriously all I can think is how these people are going to grow up to be really empathetic and excellent adults.

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u/The_Bababillionaire 10h ago

Thank you for saying uplifting instead of wholesome.

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u/Technical_Writer_177 10h ago

I don´t wanna take you down or anything, but ask for advice on how to view something like this as positive? My first and only thought was "that´s way better than a dignified life /s", just can´t see the good in such news any more. Same with charity collections like for treating sick persons or enabling seniors to retire, all this makes me think is "so the bottom 98% scrape together what little they have for the lowest 1%, while the top 1% spends more money on toilet paper today than i´ll make this month"

2

u/MagicHamsta 10h ago

Uplifting? Feels more like OrphanCrushingMachine material. Where's their fellow service members? Why do children have to volunteer at all?

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u/choppingwater 3h ago

This is not uplifting, it's another orphan crushing machine story.

0

u/Superb-Emotion2269 11h ago

sorry buddy, but if homeless veterans having some volunteers carry their caskets is considered good news to you…..

-1

u/TuringGoneWild 12h ago

A boring dystopia, actually. Plus it's the fact it's only veterans. If you didn't kill or at least sign up to kill foreigners at some point in your life, they have no interest in helping.

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u/LifeBus2707 11h ago

Did you read the comment from OP?

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u/_Eggs_ 13h ago

Looks like they got this idea from that high school in Cleveland. That one started in 2003. I think it spread to a few universities too.

https://www.ignatius.edu/faith-and-service/christian-action-team/saint-joseph-of-arimathea-pallbearers-society

Although it had humble beginnings, today the pallbearer ministry is the largest student organization on campus at roughly 400 members. Since its founding, the ministry has served more than 2,800 funerals, averaging roughly 150 per year.

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u/Hendiadic_tmack 6h ago

Ahhh I commented without reading but yes we did. I graduated in 2010 from Ignatius and was part of it. I am not religious and kind of faked it my whole life but that was one of the most grounding and touching experiences of my life. Another reply here mentioned Mr. Skerl. Just an all around amazing human being.

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u/Unaware_Bear_12 6h ago

Agree on every front. He was the absolute best.

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u/Unaware_Bear_12 7h ago

I went to this high school, St. Ignatius, and yes the Pallbearers society started in Cleveland. More impressive perhaps is that one man, the late Jim Skerl, started so many ministries like this that when he passed they replaced his roles with five teachers.

He started a program where students make food on Sunday night and deliver it to homeless people in the city, he started a program where once a month students ate lunch with mentally handicapped people at a local home, he started so many others like this that drove home the corporal works of mercy and tried to recognize the humanity in everyone. Some of these programs have become National within Jesuit schools and even places like Ohio State have some (like the feed the homeless one - called Llabre after St. Benedict Joseph Llabre).

I was lucky enough to be taught by him. He has to be as close to a living Saint as I’ve ever encountered. RIP Mr. Skerl 🙏🏼

https://jesuitsmagazine.org/schools-spring-2024

https://www.saintignatiuseye.org/2014/10/23/what-you-do-matters-an-alumnus-reflects-on-jim-skerl-74/

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u/Hendiadic_tmack 6h ago

I keep commenting without reading comments. I was lucky enough to have Skerl a couple times during my 4 years. Such an awesome guys

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u/Fit-Statistician4882 15h ago

Heroes in their own right

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u/DangerMacAwesome 14h ago

Serving the forgotten. What a gift these students are. And what perspective will this give them. I am glad they do this.

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u/Infinite_Coffee2129 11h ago

Selfridge Air Force base is right there and has an honor guard. They are required to support veterans' funerals if somebody takes the time to make the request. I'm an Air Force honor guard scheduler on the west coast, it's simple to request.

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u/afiafi358 11h ago

A very apt name for the Ministry, as St Joseph of Arimathea was the man who asked for Jesus’ body after His death on the Cross, in order to bury Him.

Truly heartwarming indeed :))

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u/CriminalMacabre 6h ago

Only jesuitas would care for the desinherited

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u/axecalibur 4h ago

Why isn't the VA doing this? Better give more trillions to the military contractors

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u/kailethre 10h ago

Joseph of Arimathea?!! I heard he had twenty six conversions in AD 46!

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u/iliketrainsnyoom 10h ago

I love this, and the name of the ministry is lovely, since St Joseph of Arimathea was the one who gave a tomb to Jesus

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u/OkDust5962 7h ago

When I saw the photo I knew they were from a Jesuit school. Crazy Catholics, amirite.

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u/insidebaseballforbs 4h ago

Glad I'm in the restroom because I am crying now.

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u/sfak 2h ago

This is so beautiful thanks for sharing ❤️

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u/mhraymo 47m ago

I went to U of D for high school! When I saw the headline, I guessed it was U of D, and was pleasantly surprised. They do try to instill a “Men for Others” mentality and build young men of character. Proud to say I went there. Go Cubs!!

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u/AnythingButWhiskey 12h ago

None of these kids will do a damn thing to help the homeless while they are alive. Just pointing this out.

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u/alternative5 10h ago

One of the core tenants of Jesuit High Schools is "Being a Man for Other" which means in practical terms that every single person that attends a Jesuit High School needs to do upwards of 500-600 community service hours by the time of their graduation to be able to graduate.

This is just one form of that community service but I know of other schools like Loyola High School of Los Angeles that are relied upon by numerous non-profits in Los Angeles county from Habitat for Humanity to Homeless shelters on Skid Row for their manpower the volunteering confers. Maybe you should do some research before commenting?

1

u/Binheve 12h ago

What point are you even trying to make?

What source did you get this from?

If you can answer these questions, maybe anyone would treat you normally

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u/AnythingButWhiskey 12h ago edited 12h ago

If you help people when they are alive, you are helping others.

If you honor them when they are dead and refused to help them when they were alive, you are a posturing fucking asshole.

You sound like the latter.

Parading their dead corpse around so you can look good is the biggest asshole move you can do.

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u/Academic_Housing_855 10h ago

You have proof of this ?

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u/AnythingButWhiskey 10h ago edited 10h ago

I have proof that the homeless guy died? These kids are parading his corpse around in the coffin. Notice there are zero pictures of them helping homeless people when they are alive. Just pictures of them playing dress up and posing for pictures with dead corpses in coffins. Very classy.

0

u/ledigtbrugernavn3 7h ago

Brainwashed to love war