A Patriot’s Final Wish for Honor
A proud U.S. Marine Corps veteran and January 6 political prisoner, Barton “Bart” Shively, passed away on June 22, 2025, after a brutal battle with Stage 4 lymphoma. In life, Bart endured the unthinkable: he was thrown into the Biden regime’s DC jail (“Gulag”) despite his cancer diagnosis, and was denied proper medical care for months.
“It took four months to get my cancer treatment started… I did chemo in the DC Gulag… I’d never been in jail before… I was so sick I could hardly stand up,” Bart recounted of the nightmare he lived through.
During radiation treatments, prison staff effectively “fried him from the inside out,” leaving Bart bleeding and in agony in his cement cell. His once-strong 58-year-old body was literally “cooked alive” by barbaric prison medical neglect, as fellow inmates described it, yet Bart’s spirit remained unbroken.
By the time a judge finally released him – belatedly admitting she “didn’t want his death on her hands” – Bart had lost everything. He returned home in August 2023 as a free man, but homeless and penniless, having sacrificed all in service to his country and then suffering government persecution.
“I’m a veteran, I’m homeless, and it’s all because of the government. I served my government. I got cancer from my government. My government put me in jail, and now they’re releasing me to nothing,” Bart lamented after his release.
Yet through it all, he never lost his love of country or faith in God. He cherished simple joys – like two German Shepherd puppies gifted to him by supporters – and he prayed with and encouraged his fellow Jan. 6 detainees until his final days.
Bart Shively “was a man of honor, faith, and courage, and his death will not be in vain,” remembered one J6 comrade, “he now joins the ranks of saints and soldiers whose voices cannot be silenced.”
[Donate here to help the January 6 families rebuild their lives] https://www.givesendgo.com/Funeral4Bart
Brothers-in-Arms Ensure a Hero’s Farewell
When Bart’s health took a grave turn, his greatest wish was to be laid to rest with the honor and dignity befitting a U.S. Marine – a full military funeral. Tragically, not even his modest final expenses were assured; Bart’s estate did not have enough money for even a basic cremation.
But his Jan. 6 family was not about to let this American hero be buried quietly or without honor. His fellow January 6 patriots literally stepped in as his family – “the brotherhood of his fellow January 6 political prisoners” cradled him to his final rest.
Two of Bart’s brothers-in-arms, Jake Lang and Peter Stager, took it upon themselves to ensure Bart received the send-off he deserved. These men knew Bart’s character and sacrifice firsthand – they had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him through the darkest days.
Jake, 29, had himself just been freed after spending nearly four years in the DC jail without trial, finally released when President Trump’s Inauguration Day pardons freed hundreds of Jan. 6 inmates. Peter, likewise a Jan. 6 defendant who endured years behind bars, is now a free man rebuilding his life.
Despite facing their own hardships – Peter had recently gone through a divorce, selling off much of what he owned – they did not hesitate to pay Bart’s funeral costs out of their own pockets, considering it a sacred obligation to their fallen friend.
They refused to allow Bart to be given a cheap cremation by the state; instead, they organized a full honors funeral for this Marine veteran, sparing no effort or expense to preserve his dignity.
“It was necessary – we owed it to him,” Peter said quietly, noting that a simple cremation would have been only a few thousand dollars, “but even that his estate couldn’t cover. We couldn’t let that happen.”
In the end, Bart Shively became the first pardoned Jan. 6er to receive a full military funeral – a milestone that speaks volumes about loyalty and justice coming full circle.
[Donate here to help the January 6 families rebuild their lives] https://www.givesendgo.com/Funeral4Bart
Full Military Honors – An Honor Denied to Ashli Babbitt
On July 2, 2025, under a warm summer sun in Pennsylvania, dozens of patriots gathered to honor Bart Shively’s life and service. His funeral procession was escorted by a roaring motorcycle honor guard of fellow patriots, and the ceremony featured the solemn pageantry reserved for our nation’s heroes.
At Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Bart’s flag-draped coffin was met by an official U.S. Marine Corps honor guard. Bagpipes played a mournful rendition of “Amazing Grace” as veterans and supporters stood at attention. In accordance with tradition, the riflemen fired a crisp three-volley rifle salute, and a lone bugler’s taps echoed over the hushed fields.
Bart was laid to rest with full military honors – a folded American flag presented to his loved ones – in that hallowed ground. It was a deeply moving tribute to a man who had sacrificed so much for his country.
This poignant scene was incredibly significant: just four years ago, fellow Jan. 6 patriot and veteran Ashli Babbitt was denied the same honor.
Babbitt, a 14-year Air Force veteran killed during the Capitol protest, was refused military funeral honors by the Air Force in 2021. Her family’s request for the customary flag and honors due to an honorably discharged veteran was rebuffed – reportedly because of the stigma and circumstances of that day.
The contrast is striking and heartbreaking. For Bart to be granted the honor that Ashli Babbitt was denied is no small victory: it represents a measure of redemption for the January 6 community.
In death, this persecuted patriot finally received honor from the country he loved – even as the government had failed him in life. Many at the ceremony whispered that they felt Ashli’s spirit smiling down – justice, at long last, for one of their own.
[Donate here to help the January 6 families rebuild their lives] https://www.givesendgo.com/Funeral4Bart
Rebuilding Lives and Renewed Purpose
As the bagpipes fell silent and the crowd dispersed from Bart’s graveside, those who knew him felt both grief and renewed resolve.
Jake Lang and Peter Stager stood by as brothers as the flag from Bart’s casket was folded – a symbol of honor they helped secure for him.
These two men, once vilified and locked away, are now living testaments to the power of redemption and loyalty. Jake emerged from four hellish years in the DC jail into an entirely new world this year, embracing freedom with an unshakable purpose.
“It’s the feeling only a free man can feel,” wrote J6er Ryan Samsel upon being freed, describing the joy and gratitude he, Jake, and others now experience after President Trump’s pardons “freed us.”
Many of these men lost jobs, homes, and time with family; they bear physical and emotional scars. Jake, for instance, is now in his late twenties trying to rebuild a life from scratch – yet the first thing he did with his freedom was to serve others, coordinating lodging and transportation for any J6 family members who wished to attend Bart’s funeral.
Peter Stager, who was infamously photographed on Jan. 6 and later imprisoned, is likewise starting over in his 40s. He quietly sold off property in the wake of his divorce – yet chose to use those funds to pay for his comrade’s funeral.
Such stories of sacrifice and camaraderie have defined the Jan. 6 prisoner community: they call each other “brothers” and “sisters” now, forged in suffering.
[Donate here to help the January 6 families rebuild their lives] https://www.givesendgo.com/Funeral4Bart
Honoring Bart’s Legacy – How You Can Help
Bart Shively’s life and death remind us of the steep price many patriots have paid – and are still paying – for January 6th. But his funeral also shines a light on the love, honor, and loyalty that patriots extend to one another when no one else will.
We, as a community, ensured that Bart received a hero’s farewell. Now, many of Bart’s brothers remain in need. The reality is that countless Jan. 6 families have been financially devastated by years of legal battles, lost income, and shattered livelihoods.
Even those now free, like Jake Lang, Peter Stager, and others, are starting from zero – often without homes or jobs, coping with health issues from mistreatment, and struggling to make ends meet.
If Bart’s story moved you, now is the time to act. We the People can show that we will never abandon those who sacrificed for us.
[Donate here to help the January 6 families rebuild their lives] https://www.givesendgo.com/Funeral4Bart
Let’s turn our shared grief and outrage into tangible love and support. Together, we can ensure that what happened to Bart – the injustice, the pain, but also the brotherhood – will heal and strengthen those patriots still among us.
Semper Fi, Marine. Rest in peace, Bart Shively. Your battle is over, but we will continue the fight in your name. You have earned your eternal freedom, and we salute you.
