BOSTON, Mass. - A homeless veteran who died on the streets of Boston received a proper sendoff thanks to a group of young men at a local high school.

After students at Catholic Memorial High School learned that the homeless Army veteran, known only as 'John', was going to be buried with no one in attendance, they decided to do something about it. 

On Wednesday, John was laid to rest with full military honors following a mass at the school's chapel.

“We have a lot of veterans in my own family so I know the sacrifice he made for the country and I know the service he committed in the years he committed to serving our country,” senior class president Will Padden told WBZ.

The students knew a little about John other than his first name, but the school says this experience taught the boys a valuable lesson.

“For us paying homage to a veteran, to bring him to our campus, to provide the burial rights he deserves, and to honor his legacy and to help our boys realize we have to stand with those who are marginalized,” said the school’s president, Peter Folan.