WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — A Mobile, Alabama teenager who died months after a tragic car crash received the rare honor of being buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday.
Anthony LaFrenier was a proud member of Navy JROTC program at his high school. The 16-year-old had plans to enlist in the Navy but in June of last year, he suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Anthony survived the crash but died suddenly in December. His father, a U.S. Navy Master Chief, was in active duty or the U.S. Naval Reserve for most of his son’s life, serving two combat tours.
Anthony’s family was able to obtain special permission to bury their son alongside service members from every war in American history.
A Navy honor guard carried LaFrenier’s casket to its final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery as his family and friends gathered for one final goodbye.
The chaplain said the graves at the cemetery aren’t paid for — they’re earned.
According to Arlington, the eligibility for in-ground burials is the most stringent of all national cemeteries in the U.S.