AUGUSTA, Ga ()- On Friday, the community gathered to honor and bid farewell to a homeless Vietnam veteran who tragically lost his life in an accident last October.

Lester Padgett Jr., aged 67, passed away on October 7 after being struck by a vehicle. With no surviving family members, he faced the grim prospect of a pauper’s burial. However, a friend believed that his service merited a respectful and honorable farewell.

“We crossed paths in 2018 while I was working with a nonprofit in Aiken. He often visited the shelter for a place to stay or to receive meals from the soup kitchen, and we’d frequently chat about his wellbeing and various other topics,” recounted April Tiller.

This initial connection blossomed into a friendship, with Tiller dedicated to assisting Padgett in regaining stability in his life.

“He shared with me his desire to reconnect with his faith and achieve sobriety. That marked the beginning of our journey together, focusing on both his spiritual nourishment and physical needs,” Tiller explained. “We welcomed him into the shelter and collaborated with the veterans department to secure his benefits and enroll him in a rehabilitation program.”

Tiller told NewsChannel 6 Padgett struggled with addiction and PTSD as well as grief from losing his aunt, the last surviving member of his family, in 2021. She said she set him up with a home in Augusta, but that he wanted to be in Aiken where he felt close to his aunt and that meant living on the streets.

“If you look back at his his records and things like that, you would see that 18 months after her passing that things started to spiral for him. And I would say any time anybody loses somebody and that’s the last member of your family, that’s it triggers something.”

Padgett spend 6 years in the U.S. Air Force as a weapons specialist stationed in Florida.

“He went in at 17 years old during the tail end of Vietnam, when most people were, you know, running away from the idea of going off to war,” said Tiller.

When Tiller learned of Padgett’s passing, she knew there was no one to claim his body and give him a proper burial. She requested to have his body released to her once the coroner’s 30 day search for family members ended.

However, the VA wanted to do its own search for family, which was paused by the government shut down. Now Tiller had to find a funeral home to help her with Padgett’s body. Money was a major obstacle.

“They finally released his body. And then it was a matter of calling around to different funeral homes to get a service for a vet who was an unclaimed veteran. Several of them wanted some type of financial down payment. They wanted to put my credit card on file,” explained Tiller.

Finally, Tiller called Larry Williams, owner of Augusta Cremation and Funeral Care. He just opened for business in September but said he felt called to help.

“She explained to me about the financial situation, about him being in the military, and he was unclaimed. And she was saying she didn’t have much money. I said just come on down and let’s talk.”

While Tiller works to raise money for the cost of the funeral, Williams went ahead and moved forward. 

“And I said, ‘Hey, look. We can do something for him.’ I said, ‘Because he’s served our country.’ I had a brother in the Air Force as well. And I said, ‘Hey, let’s make this happen,’” said Williams.

Friday afternoon, Padgett was laid to rest with four other unclaimed veterans in a graveside service at Fort Jackson National Cemetery in Columbia. His body was escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders.

“This is an honor because he has no family. So, we’ll be his family this morning. So, it’s an honor because every time I do one of these, I think if when I pass away, there’s no family for me. I want the same thing,” said Ricky Younginer, the Ride Captain for the Patriot Guard Riders in Columbia.

For Younginer, it’s important that every veteran be buried with the honors they deserve.

“So we all look at each other as brothers and sisters, and we don’t want to leave anybody behind. It kind of hurts us when we hear that somebody is gone without somebody standing their honor in them,” he explained. “So this is a big honor. Sometimes these mean more than going to one where there is family.”

Tiller believes that despite his troubles, Padgett was a good man.

“He was a great…just an all around great guy. Always made somebody laugh, always looking for, you know, just to brighten somebody’s day. And I was like….and I’ll always remember that with him. It’s just …he always had a joke and he always, you know, pat your leg and tell you how much he cared about you,” she smiled.

Tiller said she is relieved that everything worked out and that she will always remember her friend, Lester Padgett Jr.

Photojournalist: Reggie Mckie.