Kenneth Varnes was driving along a road in Killeen, Texas, on Friday when he noticed a funeral procession on the other side of the road passing by. 
 
 With a long line of patrol cars and vehicles with American flags hanging from their side windows, Varnes, a Fort Hood soldier, knew it must be for a fallen veteran. It was pouring rain and the sky roared with thunder, but Varnes felt compelled to do something. 
 
 So he pulled over, got out of his truck and saluted the veteran — until the very last patrol car passed. 
 
 Local resident Zachary Rummings happened to spot Varnes, standing at attention in the rain, from across the street. He shared a picture of the moment with a local Facebook group, asking members of the community if they recognized him. 
 
 “In a funeral procession for a retired soldier and he stood in the rain the entire time and saluted,” Rummings wrote. “Hats off and respect to that young man. Thank you.” 
 
 Within minutes, dozens of people were able to identify the kind stranger as Varnes, who was surprised by all of the attention. 
 
 Close Zachary Rummings 
 
 “This is probably going to make someone’s day, seeing me stand here, and I know how it is to go through a tough time like that, and I really just did it just to make someone’s day, that was it,” Varnes told CBS Waco affiliate KWTX. 
 
 The rain was pouring when Varnes first stepped out of his pickup, but as the cars passed it reduced to a light drizzle. 
 
 “As soon as I got back in the truck, it poured again, which was really cool,” he said. 
 
 While many praised the man for his inspiring and patriotic act, Varnes said it was just his natural response. He still doesn’t know who the veteran was, nor does he know his story, but that doesn’t matter. 
 
 “I don’t care if they were 80 years old, they were in World War II, they were in Vietnam, they were in Iraq, I don’t care if they were 20,” Varnes told KWTX. 
 
 All that matters is they served our country, Varnes said, and that’s something that should be honored. 
 
 “It’s a brotherhood” after all, he said. 

 A Fort Hood soldier is receiving positive recognition for saluting a fallen veteran’s funeral procession in the pouring rain. 
 
 (Photo courtesy of Zachary Rummings) 
 
 Kenneth Varnes said he was driving northbound on Highway 195 in Killeen on Friday when he noticed a funeral procession on the other side of the highway. 
 
 When he pulled over, he recognized that the procession was for a fallen veteran, so he got out of his truck and saluted until the last patrol car passed. 
 
 "This is probably going to make someone's day, seeing me stand here, and I know how it is to go through a tough time like that, and I really just did it just to make someone's day, that was it," Varnes said. 
 
 Varnes said it was pouring rain when he got out of his vehicle, but a few seconds later, the rain reduced to a drizzle. 
 
 "As soon as I got back in the truck, it poured again, which was really cool,” Varnes said. 
 
 A short time later, Varnes received multiple social media notifications, as someone had snapped a photo of him saluting in the rain. 
 
 But what many are calling an act of respect and honor, is something Varnes said he didn’t think twice about. 
 
 "I don't care if they were 80 years old, they were in World War II, they were in Vietnam, they were in Iraq, I don't care if they were 20,” Varnes said. 
 
 At one point, they all served the same country, and that’s worth recognizing. 
 
 “It’s a brotherhood,” he said.
– As Kenneth Varnes stood on the side of a Texas highway in the pouring rain, saluting an American-flag-draped funeral procession for a fallen veteran, he thought someone might see him and feel a small ray of light on an otherwise gloomy day. "I know how it is to go through a tough time like that," the Fort Hood soldier tells KWTX. "I really just did it just to make someone's day." But his simple act has resonated with many after a local resident snapped a photo of him saluting outside his truck in Killeen on March 24, with only a cowboy hat protecting him from the rain. Zachary Rummings posted the photo to a local Facebook group in the hope that someone would recognize the young man, reports CBS News. Plenty did, and soon after, Varnes says he was flooded with social media notifications as the photo went viral. But he says the fact that he was recognized for something he didn't think twice about isn't the best part of the story. Rather, Varnes says the rain slowed to a "drizzle" seconds after he stepped out of his truck to pay his respects to the unknown veteran. "As soon as I got back in the truck, it poured again, which was really cool," he says.