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1,000 attend World War II vet's funeral A memorial gathering is held for Harold " Gene" Baker at the Eagle Point National Cemetery on Thursday. Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch Friday Oct 7, 2016 at 2:00 AM Oct 7, 2016 at 11:11 AM Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune In a funeral procession fit for a dignitary, 91-year-old Gene Baker was laid to rest at the Eagle Point National Cemetery Thursday by nearly 1,000 of his brothers and sisters in uniform and residents from across Southern Oregon and Northern California. Representatives of every military branch, local emergency services personnel, four to five dozen motorcycle riders — who provided transport and a flag line for Baker’s coffin — and hundreds of others looked on as Baker’s service was conducted beneath a large American flag lowered to half mast. Baker, who was born Aug. 25, 1925, in Ojai, California, fought overseas during World War II and died in Grants Pass on Sept. 22, made headlines this week after Chapel of the Valley funeral home placed an obituary inviting the public to pay final respects. Baker had no remaining family or friends to attend his service, funeral home office manager Leila Bradish said. Thanks to a social media post that went viral locally, Baker was not laid to rest alone. A bugler played Taps. Bells chimed. And World War II biplanes flew overhead, leaving a trail of red and white smoke behind them. Cars were parked as far as the eye could see, motorcycles surrounded the service area, and the cemetery lawns were covered by onlookers who stood in silence. “I think we are all incredibly surprised. You just can’t plan a service like this. It’s taken on a life of its own,” Bradish said. Old Guard Riders Duane “Dog” Johnson and Toby Tobias, both Army veterans, held two of the three dozen American flags for the lineup through which Baker’s coffin was carried. “All we knew was he was a 91-year-old World War II vet with no family. There was no question for us,” Johnson said. “We’re all veterans so it’s a brotherhood.” Tobias said the service was one of the largest he had attended. Baker likely symbolized brothers and fathers and daughters and grandparents who served their country, he added. “I come out here and I’ve got respect for the man as a brother who served but my thoughts also go to my brother. He was a 20-year-old kid who got blown up in a training mission with Navy Seals,” Tobias said. “It’s a brotherhood for us who served. I don’t know any of us who wouldn’t do it all again if we were called. We took an oath and we never went back from that.” Chaplain Gene Flannery, a coordinator for the Missing in America Project, an organization tasked with ensuring veterans are not laid to rest without military honors, said Thursday’s service was heartwarming. “It really blew me away when we came around the corner and saw the cars all the way backed up to the entrances,” Flannery said. “People have a heart for something like this. Americans have always been for the downtrodden, the underdog. We’ve buried 30,000 people, mostly without family or friends. I think some in attendance today might have had relatives they were here in honor of.” Phoenix police Chief Derek Bowker, who attended wearing his blues, doubted that most in attendance hesitated when they read Baker’s obituary. “It’s just amazing, the Southern Oregon community and the way they step up,” Bowker said, guessing there to be at least 1,000 in attendance. “It’s a great thing to see for someone who served.” Nearby, seven U.S. Coast Guard members stood at ease after a lone bagpipe player stood on a nearby hill playing "Amazing Grace." Chief Sean Culler said the group made the four-hour drive from the Coast Guard Air Station in Humboldt Bay, California, to show their respect for the man who served well before many of them were born. “We saw it on social media and felt like the right thing to do to come and represent the Coast Guard, so we made the trip for him. What we read said he had no family, so for us it was about the support and the camaraderie. It’s one big extended family when you’re in the military,” Culler said. “During the service, they talked about the 16 million veterans from World War II and there being only about 600,000 still alive. It was very moving. These guys aren’t going to be around forever, so this was about paying our final respects for someone who served this country and very much deserved the respect that was shown here today.” Reach freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected].