The American flag remained at half-mast at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (above), through July 25 to honor the four Marines and one sailor killed by a gunman in Chattanooga, Tenn. on July 16, but the memorial services, rallies, motivational events and funerals continued until Tuesday, July 28, when the last of the five slain servicemen, U.S. Navy petty officer Randall Smith, was laid to rest at the Chattanooga National Cemetery.
An article in People.com perhaps describes best who these men were:
[Gunnery Sgt. Thomas] Sullivan, 40, of Hampden, Massachusetts, and known as “Gunny” to his friends, was an Iraq veteran and two-time Purple Heart recipient. A fellow Marine told his parents: “The only thing on his mind was if his Marines were okay.”
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Victim Sgt. Carson Holmquist, 25, of Polk, Wisconsin, was a married dad with a 2-year-old son and had been assigned to a stateside recruiting office after two tours in Afghanistan.
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Lance Cpl. Skip Wells, 21, of Cobb, Georgia, was shot after sending a final text to his girlfriend that read “ACTIVE SHOOTER.” She thought he was joking, and after hearing nothing more from him as the gravity sank, Caroline Dove texted back, “I love you.”
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Petty Officer Randall Smith, 26, a Rossville, Georgia, father of three girls, who died two days after the attack from his injuries, “always wanted to do something bigger” than be an average Joe in school, a former teacher recalled. “He wanted to make a difference.”
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[Staff Sgt. David] Wyatt, 35, of Burke County, North Carolina, has a daughter who will turn 10 on July 25, and he was an Eagle Scout who’d saved the life of an injured swimmer at age 16. His aunt recalls that he once woke her on a Montana campout to watch a geyser erupt in the moonlight.
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“He had a wide-eyed sense of wonder for everything,” says Robin Wyatt. “You don’t always have to be a high-ranking officer to be a hero. Sometimes you can be Staff Sgt. David Wyatt.”
The following are images of various events memorializing and honoring the sudden and tragic departure of these five heroes.
Operations Specialist 2nd Class Jose Rodriguez presents a folded American flag to Angie Smith, widow of Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Randall Smith, during Petty Officer Smith’s interment ceremony at Chattanooga National Cemetery. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert)
A Marine Corps rifle team fires the three-volley salute for Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan’s funeral July 27, 2015, at Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawan, Massachusetts. Sullivan was described by his family and fellow Marines as a Marines Marine, and always had a quirky smile that resembled a kid in a candy store.
Marines carry Lance Cpl. Skip Wells’ casket into the First Baptist Church of Woodstock July 26, 2015 in Woodstock, Georgia. Hundreds of people were present at the service showing their respect and support for Wells, his family and friends.
Lt. Gen. Richard P. Mills, commander of Marine Forces Reserve, presents a folded flag to the widow of Sgt. Carson Holmquist, a motor transport maintenance chief with Battery M, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, during his funeral July 25, 2015 in Grantsburg, Wisconsin. Marines, family, friends and the community of Grantsburg gathered to honor the memory and sacrifice of Holmquist and his fallen brothers-in-arms.
The Marines of Battery M, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment carry the casket of Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt, who was laid to rest at the Chattanooga National Cemetery, July 24, 2015. The Marines joined family and community members to pay their respects and thank Wyatt for his service to this country.
Rachael Hendrickson and her son, Chattanooga, Tenn. natives, kneel to view the memorial at the Armed Forces Recruitment Center. The memorial honors the four Marines and one Sailor who died in the Navy Operational Support Center Chattanooga July 16. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert)
Last week the Marine Corps confirmed that it has prepared Purple Heart award packages for the Marines killed in the Chattanooga attack.
May they rest in peace.
Lead photo: The American flag is flown at half-mast at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, July 21, 2015. The flag remained at half-mast through July 25 to honor each service member killed by a gunman in Chattanooga, Tenn. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Meranda Keller)
All photos: DOD
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.