Local 101-Year Old Veteran to Receive Hero’s Burial

BY MELANIE BUCK –

The story surrounding a local veteran’s life has many researching to insure the 101-year old is given a proper hero’s burial. Beasley Wood Funeral Home, of Mena, and Sergeant Arley Rivas, of the Military Funeral Honors for the Army National Guard in Ft. Chaffee, are trying to fit the pieces of Mr. Tidwell’s puzzle together. At his passing, little was known and his family gave instructions for a direct burial. But, as soon as it was learned that there was a possibility that Tidwell was a veteran, Beasley Wood began working diligently to research and confirm his service. As of press time, efforts continue but here is what has been confirmed to date.

Bradley Tidwell of Mena was born in Ben Aqua, Tennessee in 1914 and he served in the United States Navy. Tidwell’s only surviving family members are a few nieces and nephews from Tennessee who made arrangements for his direct burial before returning home. Tidwell’s burial was originally set for an earlier date; however, after the cemetery caretaker had trouble finding Mr. Tidwell’s wife’s plot, whom he was to be buried alongside, the services were postponed. In the meantime, it was discovered that he was a veteran. It was at that point that Beasley Wood began the search for his military records. Contacting the local VFW and in conjunction with Sgt. Rivas, military funeral honors have been planned for Wednesday, March 11, at 10 a.m. in the Beasley Wood Chapel, followed by a private burial in Rocky Cemetery.

It is believed that Tidwell also served in the United States Army in addition to the Navy. They are continuing the research to see how long Mr. Tidwell served or if he had served in any wars. Sgt. Rivas said that normal protocol is to call Ft. Sill to request records. However, the records were not located there so Rivas has since requested the records from St. Louis where archived records are kept. Rivas said it has been difficult to locate Tidwell’s records due to how long ago it was that he served. Being 101-years old, it’s likely that his records are more than 80 years old.

The performance of military funeral honors for an eligible veteran is free of charge and is mandated by law. An honor guard for the burial of an eligible veteran consists of at least two members of the Armed Forces. One member is a representative of the service branch of the deceased veteran who presents the flag. The honor detail will, at a minimum, perform a ceremony that includes the folding and presenting of the American flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps.

Sergeant Brandon House of the local National Guard said that word has gotten out to many servicemen and women who plan to attend Mr. Tidwell’s service.

UPDATE: Sgt. Ravis was able to confirm that Mr. Tidwell served in the United States Navy from 1938-1949 and was a veteran of World War II.

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Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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