A weathered piece of painted wood marked the grave of World War II Army veteran Lee O’Brian, who died in 2005.

His niece, Carol Eroh, found the makeshift marker left by a young family member when visiting the Packerton Cemetery some 16 years after his passing.

“They couldn’t afford a tombstone, obviously,” she said, holding a photo of the faded wooden marker reading: “In loving memory of my pappy Lee O’Brian 1918-2005 Army veteran WW II.”

“It broke my heart,” said Eroh, who was now a member of the Weatherly American Legion Auxiliary.

“I knew he deserved more than this,” she said.

Eroh hadn’t attended her uncle’s funeral, saying she and her husband were out of state at the time, and she never visited his grave in Packerton.

Then in 2021, she decided to stop at the cemetery on a fluke while driving through the small village between Lehighton and Jim Thorpe.

“I’m originally from Packerton,” Eroh said. “There’s a lot of O’Brians buried in that cemetery.”

Eroh knew she had to make things right. Her “Uncle Toots,” as the family called him, was entitled to a bronze marker as an honorably discharged veteran, at the very least, she said.

“It took me one year to get it done,” she said. “I went to his son first to see if he had a death certificate, and he didn’t.”

Eroh then contacted the funeral home, which obtained the death certificate for her free of charge, because he was a veteran, she said.

Then, she went to the courthouse to get his DD Form 214, which is his official discharge papers and proof of his service as an Army drill sergeant at Fort Bragg, where he taught young men to fire rifles, she said.

Eroh completed the application for the bronze plaque, which was installed on his grave, which still had an American flag on it.

“They knew he was a veteran. So, he got a flag,” Eroh said. “But I couldn’t let that go without doing my part, and I was proud to do it for him.”

Judy Derosiers, auxiliary secretary, said every veteran is entitled to a bronze grave marker like the one Eroh attained for her uncle.

All veterans are entitled to the markers, and those interested should reach out to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or their county VA office, for assistance, she said. The VA website also provides information.

Sharing this information is important, as some families may not know that they can honor a loved one’s service and properly remember then as a veteran, Derosiers said.

“That would be the best thing that would come out of this,” Eroh said.