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When a veteran of the Vietnam War died without the family near Christmas Eve, a community of veterans, a friend and military supporters in North Carolina rallied to make sure that He is finally put to rest with military honors.
They ensured that Phillip "Flip" Drye's military documents, delayed by the closure of the government last winter, arrived. A funeral home covered the cost of burial. The army provided soldiers to bend the American flag and play taps. And more than 100 veterans and others, including many foreigners, attended the service Wednesday at Salisbury National Cemetery.
A roommate had found Drye dead from a probable heart attack around 4 am on December 24 at his home in Concord, said Drye's long-time friend, Mark Blackwelder, of Concord.
Blackwelder, 56, was 13 when he met Drye, who was 11 years older. "He was more of a father and a mentor to me than my own father," he said in a phone interview Friday.
They share a Cherokee heritage and like to chase arrowheads. His friend was known as "Flip" because, as a child, he was unable to pronounce "Phillip" or "Phil" and his efforts resembled "Flip".
According to his discharge papers, the Funeral Home Linn-Honeycutt paid all the burial costs of Drye, a military doctor who received the Bronze Service Star.
"We have always taken care of those who have taken care of us," said Robert Branum, general manager of the funeral home. This is the policy of the company owning Linn-Honeycutt and about 2,000 other funeral homes and cemeteries.
Branum said the 35-day government shutdown, which began on Dec. 22 and ended on January 25, bogged down Drye's military paperwork, delaying the funeral.
Funeral home staff contacted various organizations, including groups of military motorcyclists, to attend the funeral. The Salisbury Post reported that motorcycles rumbled when Catawba Patriot riders and Fayetteville combat veterans led the procession. Three Freightliner trucks "Ride of Pride" followed the bikers.
Drye, who held the rank of Specialist 4, did not like to talk about Vietnam, Blackwelder said. He was divorced and had no children, he said. "I was basically his family and I received the flag," Blackwelder said. "I was his best friend, I always took care of him."
The house rented by Drye "in the country" was old but liveable, he said. Blackwelder was often present to drive Drye to doctors' appointments, he said.
And when Blackwelder's wife died three years ago, Drye was there for him.
"It was a really good man," Blackwelder said. "He was totally a donor."
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Follow Martha Wagoner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mjwaggonernc
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