The flags at
Grief counselors have been available to students
since Friday, Larry Randa, a school district
spokesman, said. The Valley View Board of Education at its meeting this week
observed a moment of silence in Pearson's memory, Randa
said.
Joining the Army was the biggest step Pearson, 22,
had taken in his life since graduating from
"He felt he was in a rut. He wanted to travel,
see the world," his mother, Sheryll Pearson,
told the
In the Army, he found a more disciplined, patriotic
self, said Kristopher Craig, his older brother.
"He was proud," Craig told reporters last
week. "He loved every minute of the military. He found a new side of
himself."
Pearson was in the Army Corps of Engineers,
stationed at
Music was his central passion. Pearson loved to
play the guitar that his father, Jeffrey, taught him to play as a young boy,
said
He stayed in constant touch with his family. When
he found out his father had been laid off, Pearson sent money home so that the
family car would have new tires. "He was the best son in the whole
world," his mother said. "He was my best friend."
She said she hadn't seen her son in a year and that
he was excited about coming home for Christmas. She told him she had already
gotten his old bedroom ready. He was bringing his guitar so that he could play
with his dad.
But Pearson was also aware that after the holidays,
sometime in January, he would leave for his first tour of
On the afternoon of Nov. 5, as Sheryll
Pearson was driving to her
That the person accused of killing Pearson was one
of his Army brethren has left his family angry, Craig said.
"We were completely blindsided by this. He
trusted everybody that was around him. That's the way the military works. All
the guys around you, you trust them with your life. Attacking another soldier,
it's just ridiculous. I don't understand it."
Standing alongside Sheryll
Pearson last week, Dostalek read to reporters a prose
poem Pearson wrote: "I look only to the future for wisdom. To rock back and forth in my wooden chair. To grow out the
beard of the Earth and play my experience through sound. Not always pleasant.
But just as important. For each note must represent my love, pain and
experience. Everyone has a place in my story."
Pearson's funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday
in Joliet,
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/11/12/1112hoodpearson.html
Thursday
arrival at Midway:
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders escort
the hearse carrying Pfc. Michael Pearson as it leaves
Saturday:
I
missed the visitation Friday but arrived at the funeral home mid-morning
Saturday. We would hold a flagline for a few hours and then escort Michael to the big
national cemetery that serves the
The
fire department used two ladder trucks to establish a red, white and blue
ceiling over the area. The funeral home
correctly had their flag at half-staff.
At
the foot of their flag pole, the funeral home had placed a monument years ago.
It
might be a good time to add Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, though it’s
nice that it is there at all.
A
column of twos occupied one lane of
Half
of us were waiting at the bikes.
Half of
us were standing all around the building, showing the colors.
It
was a nice day, fair and clear. Rain was
expected that evening, but for now it was nice.
There
was a visitation for several hours prior to the service, so there was no last-second
crowd. Instead civilians and soldiers
arrived at a constant rate over the hours.
Away
from the doors in an open space of the vast parking lot, the army detail
practiced. This is routine – the guys
want to get it right – but it always makes me smile. I recognized the crew as the same ones from
Fort Leonard Wood who had honored Jared Stanker a
week earlier.
There
was one new face. The
fellow farthest to the left, below.
He is Gerardo Cazares, Michael’s friend from
They
would take some extra time to be sure that he would fit into the team
seamlessly.
He
must have requested this duty.
We
each have our reasons. I don’t need to
know why my fellow PGRiders are standing beside
me. I’m satisfied that they are there
for good reasons, and that is good enough.
I did
meet PGRider Susan W. and learned a little about her
reasons, though. She is the one in
yellow.
She
told me that her grandfather served in our army in World War One. Her father served in our army in World War
Two.
She
told me that her first husband served in our army in
She
told me of a nephew who served in Desert Storm, and a
brother-in-law who was 29 years an airman.
She
told me that they face the enemy even if they are afraid; even if they are
sick; even if they couldn’t sleep on the cold, hard ground. She said that we are safe because they make
us safe.
She
didn’t know Michael or any of his family but she knew all about his dangerous
work. So while his funeral service was
conducted inside the building, she was crying in the parking lot.
Then
I left.
People
started to emerge from the building, so I ran to the truck and got on
I-80. I found the bridge over 53 and
parked there. I got my 5 by 8 and my
camera and I formed-up a one-man flagline.
200 bikes.
I
then followed the procession to graveside.
The Patriot Guard formed a vast Circle of Comfort. The Honor Guard performed the rifle volleys, Taps and the flag-folding. The folded flag was presented to the
family. Then the family and others
dropped guitar picks into the open grave.
I
traveled west on
Then
I turned north on I-55.
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