A Rightful Place For Delbert Hahn

I find it astonishing how Mike Colt and his girlfriend Carol Sturgell unintentionally came across such a historic and unusual find in the local area of Tampa. It must have been almost surreal to of found the remains of three people in a pile of trash, one of whom was a World War II veteran. To of found a World War II veteran, his wife, the wife’s mother, and documents telling of heroism, in a pile of garbage, the young couple must have been in a state of disbelief. The response that they had to their discovery was very respectful. They did the right thing by going to the authorities. The authorities interviewed neighbors, found out the history of the deceased and arranged the funeral and ceremony. Because of the couple’s good choices Delbert Hahn and his wife was finally given the funeral that Mr. Hahn so rightfully earned.

“A rightful Place for Delbert Hahn” is a story that starts out with unfortunate circumstances.

The circumstance that a decorated World War II veteran was just thrown away is absolutely disgusting. A man who risked his life for our country and for our freedoms was shown the upmost disrespect. However, even given these circumstances, things begin to turn up when Mike Colt and his girlfriend discovered the remains of the man and his wife. As the story progresses, things get better and better, eventually until the veteran and his wife were finally laid to rest in the way they deserved. At the funeral officials from the Veterans Affairs came as did officers from the Tampa police, the couple that made the discovery attended the funeral as well, at the funeral there was a total of 56 people that attended. The chaplain prayed, a bugler played taps, rifleman fired their shots, and the veteran and his wife were laid to rest. It’s a story that makes you feel good. Even though the beginning was depressing, the wrongs were righted and the ending is that of a happy

one.
Even though this story tells of a veteran that was eventually given the respect and final resting place that he properly deserved, many veterans never get to experience the care they were promised. Because of the poor leadership of the Veterans Affairs American veterans end up being undervalued by their own country. Veterans come back to the country and end up becoming homeless, it’s such a common problem that approximately 40% of all homeless men are veterans. These veterans have not received the benefits or care they were promised when they signed to serve. Instead of getting help and being respected, veterans are treated second class. These men sacrifice so much for our freedom and we repay them by ignoring them. I hope changes are made so that every Veteran gets the care they need.