A woman was enjoying the nice weather outside when a funeral procession for a military veteran caught her attention. The flag of the deceased also garnered the attention of some boys riding on their bikes, causing an unexpected response. That’s about the time the onlooker grabbed her camera.
Jacqi Hornbach was dog-sitting for a friend in Batesville, Indiana when she decided to go outside and enjoy the nice weather. While relaxing outdoors, a funeral procession for 89-year-old Charles Everett Yorn entered the cemetery across the street from where Hornbach was sitting. Very quickly, it became evident that the funeral procession was for a military veteran who had passed away.
With the flag of the deceased military man clearly visible and Taps playing in his honor, it was obvious that respects were being paid to a deceased veteran. Sadly, this isn’t something every young person would recognize, so when two boys riding bikes through the neighborhood ran into the military veteran’s funeral, Hornbach was left stunned by their reaction, so she grabbed her camera.
According to Hornbach, the two Indiana boys stopped in their tracks, hopped off of their bikes, and paid their respects to the military veteran when the funeral procession passed by, Fox News reported. “These two young men were riding their bikes and saw the flag of the deceased military man. They immediately stopped riding, got off their bikes, and stood with respect as TAPS was being played,” Hornbach recalled.
For the boys, who Hornbach said “immediately jumped off” their bikes and “waited patiently for a few minutes,” the funeral obviously took precedent over their bike ride, and Hornbach was moved by the sight. So, she grabbed her camera, snapped a couple of pictures, and then decided to share the images on Facebook.
“I debated whether or not to post this,” Hornbach admitted. “But, with all the negative things going on, I thought this was needed,” she added as she shared the photos. “I had to snap a pic as I was so proud of these two young men,” she continued, praising the boys for paying their respects to Charles Everett Yorn.
“Their parents should be so proud, and I’m sure the serviceman was in heaven smiling down on them,” Hornbach added to the post, before concluding the caption with a heart emoji. Apparently, others agreed as the images began to spread across social media before capturing the attention of news outlets, such as Fox News.
“To see these two young boys immediately stop and pay their respects to a passed serviceman, without any prompting or knowledge of anyone watching, was just so touching to see,” Hornbach said, according to Fox News. Explaining that “they both stood with arms behind their backs, silently, the entire time,” as Taps played, Hornbach added, “It was as if they didn’t even have to discuss it before doing it.”
Inspired by the boys, Hornbach said she too felt compelled to stand up and pay her respects after seeing how the boys stopped and looked on. “They knew that’s just what you do when you come across this. It was so natural for them,” she said, further praising the two young men and their response to the serviceman’s funeral. “They did the gun salute, and the boys jumped back in their bikes and went on their way.”
Although Hornbach initially debated over whether or not to post the images and admitted that the Batesville community is “very patriotic” to begin with, she eventually decided it was a much-needed post with “all the negative things going on,” and we couldn’t agree more. As she explained, it’s moments like this that make us all realize “there is so much good left in this world.”
Indeed, the news is often inundated with stories that feature disrespect, abuse, violence, hate, and so many other negative happenings that we forget there is good in the world. We need these reminders that the negative is not all that’s out there. There is hope, respect, honor, and kindness every day, and when we see it, we need to share it just as quickly as we are often compelled to share the “bad.” There is still so much good in the world. It just doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
