INDIANAPOLIS — When Army veteran Henry Thornton, Jr. passed away last month, he ended up being buried without military honors. It was an error that fellow veterans and a Veterans Service officer are working to correct.
Thornton joined the U.S. Army when he was 20 years old in 1953 and served for two years, earning the rank of private first class in the Korean War.
When he was discharged, Thornton went back to school and graduated from Arcola Special Consolidation School in 1957. He then went on to work for Ford Motor Company for nearly 40 years. He was also a member of Eastern Star Church and served as an usher.
Thornton passed away at the age of 87 on June 15, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Johnnie Adams-Thornton, his three sons and four daughters, 26 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren. Johnnie said she and Henry started out as friends before getting married in 2005.
“He always made sure that I knew he loved me,” she said. “Then he started to get sick and things started to change. Even then, he made sure that I knew that he appreciated me.”
The two did everything together. If Henry was in a photo, Johnnie was right there with him.
“We did everything together. So when he got sick, we did it together. I made sure to let me be the one to worry. If I worry, I’ll tell you when to worry,” she said.
Thornton served in the Army before he married Johnnie, but it’s a chapter in his life he never forgot.
“He was proud, and he wore his hat. He would go to the VA and he’d speak to everybody. You didn’t even have to know him. He always had conversations,” Johnnie said.
He was a proud veteran who rightfully deserved military honors, but on the day of the service, Johnnie said no one showed to do them. She said she was told they were unable to make it.
“It’s a hard thing to do to describe that feeling, because I was already broken and numb. I really couldn’t believe she was saying these words to me now and it broke me, it just broke me. I didn’t retaliate. I didn’t anger because it wasn’t what I was there for,” she said.
She is thankful the mistake is being corrected so Thornton can receive a proper final salute.
“I am thankful to my God that it’s still going to happen and it’s going to be just as enjoyable and we are going to rejoice the same as if it was on the same day,” she said.
On Friday, Johnnie will be handed a folded flag in honor of her husband's memory. She plans to pass it along to his son, along with Thornton’s Korean War cap.
“I’m excited. I’m so thankful because Henry deserves this. He deserves it,” she said.
Unfortunately, only a limited number of his family members will be able to be at the memorial service as he is given the military honors he deserves. As such, fellow veterans and anyone else who can attend are being invited to pay their respects.
The ceremony will be held on Friday, July 16 at 11 a.m. at Crown Hill Cemetery in Section 209, Lot #62. It is to the right of the Field of Valor.
On Friday, Thornton finally received the military honors he deserved.
Family, fellow veterans and strangers came together to honor Thornton's service.
There was a gun salute, and Henry's widow was presented with a folded flag, which she passed down to his son.
Henry Thornton Junior, we thank you for your service.
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