Gold Star family gets to virtually visit gravesite of deceased Air Force captain thanks to stranger on Twitter

HUDSON, N.H. — A New Hampshire Gold Star family got a virtual visit to Arlington National Cemetery thanks to a stranger on Twitter.

“I visit Arlington Cemetery usually at least twice a year, sometimes three times, my grandfather is buried there so I go on Memorial Day and Veterans Day and usually try to do Wreaths Across America," said Emily Domenech of Alexandria, Virginia.

However, with the pandemic limiting travel for so many, she knew this Memorial Day that she was among the fortunate few to be able to visit her loved one’s grave.

So, she reached out on Twitter asking if anyone would like her to visit a grave and share a picture.

“I originally tweeted thinking that a handful of people would reply, and I would be able to take a few pictures for people whose buddies are buried there," Domenech.

However, she said, “After the first three minutes the tweet started to go viral and I was getting responses from people I never met people before one in particular that stands out to me was a young woman that wrote to me about her husband.”

That woman’s husband was 30-year-old Air Force Captain Ryan Phaneuf from Hudson, NH.

He was killed just this past January in Afghanistan and although his family was able to lay him to rest before coronavirus restrictions took hold, they never got to see his stone.

Domenech gave them that chance.

“I think it’s so easy for Americans to forget that these wars are still going on while we are so focused on what’s going on at home and the idea that someone had lost their husband as recently as the end of January and I immediately went to find his grave, it became sort of my priority," she said.

She also visited about 60 other graves Monday and sent their loved ones pictures, but Capt. Phaneuf’s was the one that stuck with her the most.

“I just can’t imagine being in that position and not being able to remember your loved one on any Memorial Day but certainly the first one after they passed," she said. “As I told his family I will absolutely visit every year; I was touched to be a part of helping them with their grieving process,” she said.

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