Under a gray sky on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, family, friends, and fellow service members gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to lay to rest U.S. Army Sergeant Michael Verardo, one of the most catastrophically wounded heroes of the post-9/11 generation.
The paratrooper who survived two IED blasts in Afghanistan and endured 120 surgeries over 15 years was remembered as a patriot, husband, and father whose courage outlasted every injury he suffered. His story united lawmakers, veterans, and military families who witnessed not only how he fought, but how he lived, transforming his long recovery into a mission to serve others through the Independence Fund, which has restored mobility to more than 2,700 severely wounded veterans.
The ceremony began with an invocation from Rev. Dr. Terry Moore, whose voice carried over the rows of white headstones.