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AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI/Gray News) - The military community came together this week to honor a Marine veteran who died last month without any family or friends by his side.

Gerry Brooks died at the age of 68 in a nursing home in Maine.

Thursday, the Marine veteran was laid to rest at Maine’s Veteran Cemetery with plenty of fellow veterans and bikers surrounding him, most of whom didn’t know Brooks, for his final goodbye.

“We received a notice from our brothers down in Augusta that we had a Marine who passed with no family, and we wanted some presence at his funeral. So, he being a brother, I’m here,” said Donald Kozerow, judge advocate of the Marine Corps League.

Through Facebook and other social media outlets, word got out quickly about Brooks’ passing.

The Marine community came together to make sure Brooks knew he did not die alone.

“It really truly is amazing, and it goes back to the testament of the brotherhood of the various service members and the understanding that being willing to put your life on the line for others cements a bond,” Phillip Dow, of the Maine Army National Guard, said. “To be able to, even if you’ve never met them, know that you had something in common.”

Kozerow added, “Being a Marine is being a brotherhood. We’re all brothers. You are my brother or my sister and that’s forever.”

Many who attended the ceremony for Brooks said it is an honor to be a part of any veteran’s service.

“Being able to honor them in this time, to be able to preside over the committal, to be able to be with them as their remains are put away for one last time and placed is truly amazing. It’s overwhelming,” Dow, who led a prayer and spoke during the burial, said.

Dow added, “Whenever I talk with folks, whether it’s veterans or currently serving or family members, I remind them that they aren’t alone. There’s always somebody that they can reach out to.”

The Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services also helped in organizing Brooks’ service.

“An incredible display of honor and respect! —Thank you to all who attended today’s burial as we laid to rest Gerry R. Brooks, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Augusta,” representatives with the group shared.