They fought together as brothers in arms; they died together and now they sleep side by side...To them, we have a solemn obligation — the obligation to ensure that their sacrifice will help make this a better and safer world in which to live.
We,
the comrades of Unit 1012, will remember Delbert Belton, a World War II Veteran
who was murdered by two Juveniles. We will honor him as a fallen soldier and
remember him every year on August 22. Let us remember his bravery and courage
when he fought in World War II. Please see the quote above that we dedicate to
him.
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Delbert Belton
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We will
post information about him from different news sources:
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| Delbert Belton |
Delbert "Shorty" BELTON (12/21/1924 - 08/22/2013)
Obituary
BELTON, Delbert "Shorty" (Age 88) Passed
away on August 22, 2013. He was born on December 21, 1924, in Sunnyside, WA to
Luther and Marion Belton. Shorty was one of 13 children in his family. He
served in the army during WWII. Shorty was a 30 year employee at Kaiser
Aluminum Plant at Trentwood. He is survived by his son Bill and wife Bobbie,
grandchildren; Carlton and Dana and great-granddaughter; Natasha. A graveside
service will be held on Thursday, August 29th at noon at Greenwood Memorial
Terrace. A reception will follow at Heritage Funeral Home.
To learn more about other World
War II Veterans, please go to the following links:
INTERNET
SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2406476/Delbert-Shorty-Belton-Funeral-held-WWII-veteran-brutally-beaten-death-teenagers-carpark.html
'Brave until
the end': Funeral held for WWII veteran who was brutally beaten to death by two
teenagers in a carpark
·
A
funeral with full military honors was given for Delbert 'Shorty' Belton today
·
Mourners
heard how the 88-year-old fought bravely in Japan in WWII
·
Belton
was beaten to death by two teenagers last week
·
Police
believe it was a botched robbery
By James
Nye and Alex
Greig
|
A World War
II veteran, 88, who was beaten to death by two teenagers has been given a
send-off with full military honors in Spokane, Washington.
Hundreds
gathered at Greenwood Memorial Terrace to farewell Delbert
'Shorty' Belton and pay their respects to a man whose courage defined him at
all stages of his life.
Uniformed
soldiers joined the mourners and the Reverend Homer Todd told how Belton had fought
bravely in the Battle of Okinawa only to be senselessly murdered by teenagers
last week.
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Spokane veteran
Delbert Belton was buried with full military honors during a public service
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A sad end: The
gravestone for Delbert 'Shorty' Belton on display during his graveside service
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Fighter: A World
War II-era photo shows veteran Delbert Belton (left) and as the 88-year-old he
was when he died (right)
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Fighter: A World
War II-era photo shows veteran Delbert Belton (left) and as the 88-year-old he
was when he died (right)
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Police escort:
Members of the Spokane Police Motor Unit escort the family of Delbert Belton to
the graveside
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Mourners heard how the diminutive Belton had faced war, the Great Depression, losing his wife and the challenges of old age with bravery and courage.
According to NBC, at the funeral he was described 'as a man who was
short of stature but full of life and generosity, a tinkerer who loved souping
up cars in his project-cluttered garage, and an "agile" dancer who
needed no coaxing to get out on the floor.'
Reverend
Todd said, 'There are a lot of gals that will miss having a partner at those
events.'
'He was
short, but full of vim and vinegar.'
Adams-Kinard
and Demetrius Glenn, who are both 16, have been charged with battering
88-year-old Battle of Okinawa veteran Belton to death with flashlights in his
car outside the Fraternal Order of Eagles Lodge on Wednesday after a botched
robbery.
Both were
charged as adults and both have previous convictions for assault and were
caught on security cameras in the area at the time of the killing.
Glenn gave
himself up immediately to the police, but Adams-Kinard went on the run for four
days and allegedly told friends during his time in hiding that the beating
occurred because of a drug deal gone wrong.
Police have
said that they have a letter in their possession, written by Adams-Kinard to
his mother, in which he claims that Belton was selling them crack cocaine.
The letter
said that after purchasing a 'zip of crack cocaine from Shorty,' the teens
'proceeded to sock him.'
'I took his
wallet and another ounce of crack from his pockets,' the letter said, according
to the court document. 'He was unconscious so I made sure he was still
breathing, and then I took off.'
Police have
said that they seriously doubt Adams-Kinard's story and spokeswoman, Monique
Cotton said in a statement: 'We have no evidence to support that.'
Even
Glenn's lawyer, Christian Phelps, told NBC News that he was skeptical and said,
'It doesn't seem plausible to me. I wouldn't put any stock in it at this
point.'
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Adams-Kinard's attorney objected to him being
placed in adult prison
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Demetrius Glenn,
left, confers with attorney Christian Phelps. He is charged with first degree
murder and first degree robbery
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Glenn, pictured
being led away by an officer, has pleaded not guilty
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However,
Phelps also pointed out that, 'there are no eyewitnesses and no forensic
evidence that links either of the kids to the crime.'
Yesterday,
upon the apprehension of Adams-Kinard, police revealed the sickening brutality
inflicted on the helpless 88-year-old victim.
Attacked in
his car on Wednesday in the parking lot of Fraternal Order of Eagles Lodge,
Delbert Belton was found wedged between the two front seats of his car on
Wednesday and was battered so badly he sustained brain damage and had lost too
much blood to survive the violent attack.
Kenan
Adams-Kinard and Demetrius Glenn, both 16, are accused of battering the war
hero to death with flashlights after he fought back during a robbery and
according to Belton's daughter-in-law 'They just kept hitting and hitting him.'
'He was an
88-year-old man,' said Barbara Belton to NBC News.
'Even if
they wanted his money and he didn't want to give it to them, they didn't need
to do that.
'They did a
horrendous thing and they need to pay the consequences.'
'He hung
around with the wrong people and made the wrong choices,' Odell Kinard said of
his nephew, Kenan Adams-Kinard. 'It's the summer and ain't nothing to do here.'
Glenn's
lawyer says he plans to plead not guilty for the murder of Delbert - who took a
bullet in the Battle of Okinawa - who was clubbed to death with flashlights as
he tried to stop an apparent robbery in a crime which has captured the
attention of the nation.
Police in
Spokane said that Belton was in his car in the parking lot outside the
Fraternal Order of Eagles Lodge when the attack occurred on Wednesday night.
'The motive
for this attack was robbery,' said Spokane Police Chief Frank Straub to NBC News.
'Race was
not a factor. Additionally, there was no gang activity that was associated with
his incident,' he added, noting that many commentators had pointed to the fact
that the teens were black and the victim was white.
'These are
two young men who just spun out of control.'
Glenn made
an initial court appearance Monday afternoon. He is charged in Spokane County
District Court with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. The charges
carry a potential life sentence.
District
Judge Richard Leland, presiding over a packed courtroom, said the brutality of
the attack and vulnerability of the victim make the high bail proper.
Glenn had
turned himself in Thursday night, the same day Delbert Belton died of his
injuries. The slightly-built youth gave yes and no answers to questions from
the judge but otherwise said nothing.
Defense
attorney Chris Phelps noted after the hearing that the case has gone viral on
the Internet, with many people expressing strong opinions.
'The
evidence doesn't indicate what happened,' Phelps said, adding that witnesses
only reported 'two kids running away.'
Straub said
it appeared that Belton fought back against his attackers, which may have
increased the severity of his beating.
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|
Wanted: Police released images of two possible
suspects
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Suspect Number Two: Police caught the two teens who
assaulted 88-year-old Delbert Belton outside the Eagles Lodge in North Spokane
Wednesday night
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‘Our information is that the individual fought back and that may have made this, you know, a worse situation,’ said Spokane Police Chief Frank Straub in a Monday press conference.
Straub was
quick to maintain Belton’s innocence in the matter.
‘I'm not
being critical of Mr. Belton,’ he clarified. ‘We certainly encourage
individuals to fight back, and he should have. But it shouldn't have happened
to begin with.’
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Devastated:
Daughter-in-law Bobby Belton, pictured, told of her grief at the brutal killing
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Tribute: Lill
Duncan takes a photo of a memorial for Delbert Belton, the 88-year-old World
War II veteran who was beaten to death, in Spokane
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However,
Odell Kinard expressed his shock at learning his nephew has been accused of
killing a man.
'It really
hurt to hear that,' he said to NBC News.
'He has to
take responsibility,' he added. 'But the family is praying he gets 10 years or
less.'
Unusually,
Straub spoke of the lives of the suspects in this brutal case and the impact this
crime could have on them.
'It bothers
me that a distinguished World War II veteran lost his life,' Straub said. 'But
the lives of the young suspects are also likely ruined,' he said.
'He came
close to losing his life in service to this country in Okinawa and then he gets
killed needlessly in the parking lot while he’s waiting for a friend. That’s
the tragedy of this thing,' Straub said of the victim.
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Tribute: Friends
raised a drink to Delbert Benton in the bar he was murdered outside today
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Pallbearers remove Delbert Belton's casket from a
hearse during the graveside service
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'The second piece is two young men whose lives and the lives of their
families are ruined by criminal activity.'
Belton was
born and raised in Spokane. He survived being shot in the leg in 1945 at
Okinawa, one of the fiercest battles of the war, and went on to spend 33 years
working for Kaiser Aluminum before retiring in 1982.
Belton was
called Shorty by his friends because he was little more than five feet tall,
his niece Pam Hansen said.
A second
memorial service for Belton will be held at his son's church on Friday.
Reverend
Todd spoke of Belton's character and his bravery even in his last moments.
'There is
evidence on his knuckles that he was brave as he faced the overwhelming odds of
those who robbed him of his money and his life,' Todd told the crowd of
mourners gathered around his flag-draped casket.
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