Story highlights The 80-year-old veteran had no records of any family

The public responded overwhelmingly to a Facebook post that was shared over 9,000 times

(CNN) Billy Aldridge, an 80-year-old veteran with no records of any family, had over 1,000 people attend his funeral.

Aldridge, a United States Marine Corps veteran, passed away at a nursing facility last month with no family to make burial arrangements, said Legacy Cremation and Funeral Services in Indianapolis.

Billy Aldridge was a United States Marine Corps veteran.

No one stepped forward, so Legacy worked with community partners to give the veteran a dignified burial. Legacy reached out to the public to encourage people, especially veterans, to attend the service and pay respects to Aldridge.

When local news station and CNN affiliate WTHR reported the story and posted it on Facebook, the response was overwhelming.

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