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Who is Newman Brazier? Salutes pour in for cop who stood in rainstorm procession for WWII vet

Irby Jr praised the cop and said, 'Somebody like that, you marvel at their respect, admiration, and all they stand for'

SPANISH FORT, ALABAMA: A police officer has received a lot of praise for attending a funeral procession for a World War II veteran while standing in a rainstorm. Officer Newman Brazier of the Mount Vernon Police Department honored Private First Class Robert Lee Serling on Monday, July 19, when he was laid to rest by the 92nd Division of the Buffalo Soldiers in Spanish Fort.

Serling was 100 when he died on June 5. During his final procession, Brazier stood in the pouring rain while donning his regular uniform without a raincoat as the funeral procession of his fellow veteran entered the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery. President and founder of the 92nd Division Buffalo Soldier WW2 Eddie Irby Jr said that the police officer’s kind gesture was noticed by the people who attended the funeral. It was also reportedly captured on camera. Irby Jr. stated, “Somebody like that, you marvel at their respect, admiration, and all they stand for.”

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You can watch the video here.

About his gesture, Brazier explained: “That’s what vets do. I felt that he wanted to be acknowledged. I felt that being from a small town like Mount Vernon and that he can do what he did, and he can pass and nobody realize it and not respect it. It was my point to let everyone in that area know that he was there, he was passing through, even if it was for the last time.”

Serling was one among the handful of Black men to fight for the country in the Pacific theater of the Second World War. It was reported that Serling turned 100 in April this year. His friends and well-wishers celebrated his special day by organizing a birthday drive-by. In 2015, he also gave an interview in which he said, “I joined the Army in 1942 … three years, eight months and two days. I think the Lord enabled me to sit here with you in the interview. So many of us gone in World War II, just a few of us left. And I want to thank God I’m still able to get around and drive … I can’t thank God enough for what he did.”

Meanwhile, people on the internet seemed quite happy with officer Brazier as a user tweeted, “THANK YOU & BLESS YOU, Officer Newman Brazier!!” Another user said, "Officer Newman Brazier is a truly remarkable man." "Love this, made me tear up. Thank you for your show of respect Officer Brazier. Thank you for your service as well. Stay safe & many blessings," a tweet read.

A person on Facebook wrote, “This man is a true role model.” The second one commented, “So much Respect for this Officer.....” “Thank you, thank you for your kindness!” the third user added.

In another heartwarming incident, a police officer from South Carolina showed humanity has not died yet. Horry County Police Officer CJ Mullinax was called to a Hardee's restaurant to remove a homeless man "asking for scraps". However, when Mullinax reached there, he bought him a meal instead. The video of the kind gesture was shared on social media by a staffer, Victoria Paige Summer, at the restaurant. Summer captions it as, “[He] handled the situation amazingly!” The employee also told WMBF: “I was thrilled that the officer had so much compassion so I thought I should take a video.”