NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Outside Camp Nelson National Cemetery, you'll hear the noise from daily traffic on a Kentucky highway.
Inside, it's quiet and peaceful. It's an opportunity to pay respects to veterans who served our country.
"Doesn't matter what rank you are, doesn't matter what your job was, what branch you served," said veteran Denny Hart, who helped organize a ceremony for Michael Hayes on Tuesday afternoon.
Hart has been coming to the cemetery for more than a decade. He says it reminds him of the Arlington National Cemetery.
"I have a hard time rationalizing how a veteran, or anybody for that matter, but specifically a veteran, could not have had better help," Hart said.
Hayes passed away earlier this month. We're told he had been experiencing homelessness. He was laid to rest Tuesday with full military honors. Veterans experiencing homelessness is an issue across America. Hayes served in the U.S. Army for six years in the 1980s and was known for his culinary skills.
"If he hadn't fed me, I couldn't have done my job," Hart said.
Hart didn't know Hayes -- at least not personally.
"I only found out about this about 8:30 yesterday morning," he said.
Hayes' sister was the only relative in attendance Tuesday. Once Hart found out, he, along with several other veterans, stepped in to give Hayes a proper goodbye.
"That man was our family and that man will not be forgotten, he said.
When we wrap up conversations during our stories, we often ask if there's anything else to add. Oftentimes, it's the most important takeaway.
"It doesn't matter who you are," Hart said. "Doesn't matter if you're a spec 4, like the gentleman we buried today, that was homeless, or a five-star general that served in the Second World War. We're all the same. And without us, this country would be totally different."
