Paying respect

On Thursday, 5 June 2009, Staff Sgt. John C. Beale was killed in Afghanistan along with two other members of the Georgia Army National Guard. Staff Sgt. Beale lived in McDonough, which is in neighboring Henry County, and I paid my respects to him last evening.

The body of Sergeant First Class John C. Beale arrived at Falcon Field in Peachtree City yesterday at 6 p.m. and was escorted to the funeral home in McDonough by the Henry County Police Department. The route of the procession was distributed by email and posted on local news web sites, and the public was asked to line the streets along the route to help honor this fallen soldier and to show his family support and concern.

James and I decided that it was important for us to be there, so we ate dinner quickly, asked Aidan to don his Cub Scout uniform, and then drove to a small church alongside Hwy. 85. We chose that church because the parking lot is close to the road and we were pleased to see when we arrived that we would not be alone. By the time the procession reached our location, the parking lot was full (and then some) and the berm was filled with people of all ages, most holding U.S. flags. As I looked up and down Hwy. 85, I could see many other groups of people gathered on both sides of the road.

As the procession approached, everyone fell silent and stood tall, with either hands over our hearts or in a salute. The procession was amazing. First came law enforcement vehicles from Fayette and Henry counties, fanned out across the width of the road and with light bars flashing. Behind those cars were police officers on motorcycles, then many, many Patriot Guard Riders.

Then came the hearse and the cars of the family members. By that time, tears were streaming down my face, both because of the sadness that I felt for this man and his family, but also because I was very emotional about the people who came out to pay their respects. A few more law enforcement vehicles brought up the rear, and then the procession was over.

We talked with Aidan before and after about the importance of showing respect to those who have died in service to our country and to those who continue to serve. I hope that the family of Staff Sgt. Beale received a small measure of comfort from what we and many others did last evening; it was the very least we could do.