Dedicated veteran honored

Members of the Marion County Memorial Honor Guard make a presentation during a memorial service for former member Lewis Alston on Nov. 16, 2024. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]

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Posted November 18, 2024 | By Andy Fillmore, [email protected]

The Marion County Memorial Honor Guard bid a fond farewell to one of their own on Nov. 16.

Lewis Alston, a member of the guard for seven years, died Nov. 18, 2023, at the age of 72. He was honored Saturday with a military memorial service at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Park.

Alston, a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and Purple Heart recipient for his combat role in the Vietnam War. He and his wife, Lorraine Brown Alston, moved to Ocala in 2016, according to his biography in the memorial service program and an obituary by Christman’s Funeral Home in Pennsylvania.
Alston, an avid motorcyclist and member of numerous veterans’ organizations, volunteered as a crossing guard in Lancaster and served with the Red Rose Veteran’s Honor Guard there, according to the biography.

Alston was remembered on Saturday as a tireless and giving volunteer who wore his impeccably kept Marine dress blues uniform with pride. He was a familiar and friendly face to many family members and guests at funeral services at various regional venues, including the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell and events and ceremonies at the veterans’ memorial park in Ocala. Alston participated in more than 800 veteran services with the MCMHG.
According to usa.gov, honorably discharged veterans and active-duty service members are eligible for free military funeral honors, including a military detail, flag presentation and the playing of taps. A funeral director handling a burial can assist the veteran’s family with requesting military honors. The website states that additional benefits may also be available to veterans and reservists.

During Alston’s memorial service, an American flag was ceremoniously folded, taps was played and rifle volleys were fired. A final hand salute to Alston was provided by each member of the MCMHG in attendance and Alston’s friend, fellow Marine and MCMHG member, Bob Levenson, returned each members’ salute for his fallen comrade.

The MCMHG also provided military honors for another local veteran on Nov. 16 at the park, Erwin J. Burkhardt, 92, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. Burkhardt served in the USMC from 1950 to 1952, during the Korean War era. He played baseball with the Cleveland Indians in 1952.

Diane Burkhardt Thomason, one of his three children, said during the eulogy that her father’s favorite song was “Side by Side.”

The song contains lyrics including: “Don’t know what’s comin’ tomorrow, maybe it’s trouble and sorrow, but we’ll travel the road, sharin’ our load, side by side.”

Thomason said her father felt the song was about “life … family.”

To learn more about the honor guard, go to memorialhonorguard.com or call (352) 216-6724.