84-year-old Navy veteran finally gets special headstone for grave after long 2-year wait

By Cheryl Fiandaca

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    MARION, Massachusetts (WBZ) — An 84-year-old Navy veteran paid a shop in Middleboro, Massachusetts thousands of dollars for a headstone. Two years later he still had nothing, until he reached out to WBZ’TVs Call For Action.

Belmiro Barros spent 27 years in the military, served in Vietnam and was a gunner’s mate on Navy destroyers. Barros said he and his fellow servicemen did it all. They were put in harm’s way during torpedo strikes and even chased submarines.

“I was on the U.S.S. Robinson DD 562 and then the U.S.S. Abbott 629. I love my military stuff,” Barros told WBZ.

Proud of his time in the Navy, Barros wanted a Navy ship etched on his cemetery headstone. In June of 2022, Barros and his wife Juanita went to Barnicoat Monuments in Middleboro to create the design. Barros said they sketched it out and he gave the company a $1,000 deposit for the monument, which cost nearly $4,000.

The Barroses said for more than a year after they paid the deposit, they waited for the work to be done. The couple said they called several times but got no answer. Fifteen months later, still nothing from the monument company. The Barroses said they decided to go back to Barnicoat in person so see what was going on. This time, they met with the owner, finalized the plans, and paid another $1,000. The couple said they were told the stone would be done.

Again, the Barroses said months went by and they heard nothing their monument.

“So we tried again. No one ever gets back to you,” Barros told WBZ.

Finally, frustrated that they were still waiting, the Barroses reached out to the I-Team’s Call for Action.

“Channel 4, Cheryl Fiandaca, she does a good job. I watch you all the time,” said Barros. “Five minutes later, you were on the phone. You jumped on it and you made contact with them.”

Within days after WBZ contacted Barnicoat, the stone was finished and put on the Barros’ grave plot at Old Landing Cemetery in Marion. Barros said it was a weight off his shoulders.

“I thank you very much, you know, because if it wasn’t for you and the I-Team, we would still be waiting,” he said.

Barnicoat told WBZ the delay was due to miscommunication about the lettering on the headstone and the cemetery preparing the grave for the monument installation.

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