Evansville native, WWII vet to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - A World War II Veteran from Evansville will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

[Evansville WWII vet to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery]

Sergeant Carl Mann will be laid to rest on the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion. Tuesday, Kate O’Rourke sat down with two of his sons to talk about what this honor would have meant to their father.

“He told Carl and I he wanted to be left with men that thought the way he thought back then, and that will be his final resting place,” says Miles Mann.

Carl and Miles Mann tell us their father, Sgt. Carl Mann, humbly hoped for a burial spot in Arlington National Cemetery.

“What he would tell us is he’s just one of 16.5 million other guys that were there, that took part in World War II, and he would just be proud to represent those men that he fought with," says Miles. "He would not consider this anything for him. He would only consider it for them.”

A Vietnam Veteran himself, Carl says honors like these are a crucial reminder that our soldiers are serving one nation.

“True patriotism isn’t about being Democrat or Republican -- It’s about our nation," Carl explains. "Unfortunately, that’s not being taught. Partisanship is being taught.”

Disappointed by what he said was the lack of war history being taught to the youngest generation, Sgt. Mann became an activist. In 2012, he shared his war stories with a group of local students.

Sgt. Mann’s family says he modeled an exceptional work ethic for his seven children, never feeling entitled to anything, including his freedom.

“Dad was just a hard worker," says Carl. "It was ingrained in him. He worked from the age of 6 until he was 92.”

During three and a half years serving in WWII, he watched thousands die. For his service, Mann earned three purple hearts and seven Bronze Stars.

“On June 6th, it will be hard not to show my pride for my dad,” says Miles.

Miles took his father on the Honor flight in 2015 and remembers the stop at Arlington.

“As he looked out over that field, he just shook his head, and he said, you know this is the cost," says Miles. "This is what it costs for freedom.”

Sgt. Mann was 96 years old when he died in March. His journey to Washington D.C. starts Monday morning at Pierre Funeral Home with a send-off and escort by the Indiana Chapter Six Rolling Thunder.

Sgt. Mann will be laid in his final resting place, Arlington National Cemetery, on June 6.

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