MIMS, Fla. — Every Tuesday, you'll find Shirley Jaffe at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery.

  • Shirley Jaffe doesn't want any veteran to be buried alone
  • She iis part of the group Cape Canaveral Ladies
  • The group volunteers to attend funerals for vets

"On these tombstones we learn about these men and woman. You see how they're loved, you see what they loved," Jaffe says.

She spends the day attending funerals for veterans — on average about three a day — with the goal that nobody gets buried alone.

"Especially World War II veterans, who may be the last remaining person in their family, or maybe some of their relatives, like if they have a wife or a husband that are too feeble to travel, they can't come to their funeral," she said.

For Jaffe, spending the day paying tribute to these vets is her way to keep the legacy of her father alive, who was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy.

"These soldiers are doing things for us that, when you boil it all down, they are doing it for me personally, so I need to thank them," she said.

With so many funerals a day, every day, she says, Cape Canaveral Ladies volunteer to attend every service no matter what, but could use more volunteers who want to pay tribute to veterans.

"(It's a) beautiful place, it's very peaceful, it's serene, and you're doing a good thing, you know? It's service. We're giving service to veterans, and who better to give it to? They've done so much for us," she says.

Keep in mind: This is not your typical volunteer position. It involves being a silent witness to a veteran's final goodbye.