Posted 2:15 pm Wednesday, October 22, 2008
UPDATE: Frankston Seniors Witness Return of Fallen Soldier's Body
By KELLY GOOCH
Staff Writer
The body of former Frankston High School student and U.S. Army Specialist Heath Pickard arrived at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport Wednesday morning after being transported from Iraq.
Staff Writer
The body of former Frankston High School student and U.S. Army Specialist Heath Pickard arrived at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport Wednesday morning after being transported from Iraq.
Frankston High School Counselor Cindy Owens said that the 56 students in the senior class decided to come to the airport for the occasion.
“They were very solemn, very respectful,” she said of the students. “(The whole event) was very moving.”
Volunteers with Welcome Home Soldiers were also at the airport Wednesday morning.
Volunteer Carla Gamblin said that there were probably 20 people who held flags, some being with Welcome Home Soldiers and others being “people that just want to show their respect.”
Additionally, Patriot Guard Riders, the sheriff’s departments from Anderson and Smith counties and the Frankston Police Department were at the event, she said.
Gamblin said the plane landed at 9 a.m. with a military escort. Pickard's family members were nearby as the casket was carried to the hearse, she added.
Pickard’s cousin, Jennifer Hart, said that his grandmother, his brother Austin, his aunts and uncles and his cousins were all there.
“It was just very overwhelming,” she said, adding that Wednesday morning made her cousin's death seem real to her.
Another volunteer with Welcome Home Soldiers, Rosalie Howerton, said volunteers from the organization have gone to some funerals of military members in the last year.
She also mentioned two soldiers from East Texas who were wounded, but not killed, in Afghanistan and that one of them is currently in Florida waiting to come back to Tyler.
“It was just an honor to come out and be here for Heath and his family,” Howerton said.
As the motorcade made its way to a funeral home in Palestine, Hart said the family was thankful to the Frankston and Palestine communities for their support.
Owens said that members of the Frankston High School student body and community watched as the motorcade made its way through the town, and at least some of the people were holding flags.
“It was unbelievable, but that’s how Frankston is. They kind of take care of their own,” she said.
Pickard was killed by indirect fire in Diyala, Province, Iraq last Thursday.
Hart said her cousin went to Fort Benning in Georgia for basic training shortly after he graduated from Frankston High School in 2006.
“(He wanted to join the military) because he loved his country,” she said.
In October 2006, Hart said Pickard went to Alaska and was stationed there before being deployed to Iraq on his 21st birthday, Sept. 18 of this year. He and his wife Sara had a 4-month-old son named Ethan.
Pickard is not the only military member in his family or in his Frankston High School graduating class. Hart said Pickard’s 22-year-old brother Austin is stationed in Germany and flew back for the funeral.
Out of Pickard’s graduating class of 60, Owens said six went into the military. About 10 to 15 percent of each Frankston High School graduating class joins the military each year, she said.
Owens said Pickard was a football and baseball player while he attended Frankston High School.
“He loved baseball,” Hart said. “He’s loved baseball since he was three years old.”
The school is planning to remember its former football and baseball player. Owens said Friday night’s football game against the Arp Tigers will be dedicated to Pickard, and he will definitely be mentioned at a future school program for Veterans Day.
“He always wanted honor and respect, and he accomplished his goals,” she said. “He really was an awesome kid.”
The funeral is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Evangelistic Temple in Palestine.
Staff Writer Kenneth Dean contributed to this report.
Updated Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 at 2:12 p.m. CDT
Volunteers with Welcome Home Soldiers were also at the airport Wednesday morning.
Volunteer Carla Gamblin said that there were probably 20 people who held flags, some being with Welcome Home Soldiers and others being “people that just want to show their respect.”
Additionally, Patriot Guard Riders, the sheriff’s departments from Anderson and Smith counties and the Frankston Police Department were at the event, she said.
Gamblin said the plane landed at 9 a.m. with a military escort. Pickard's family members were nearby as the casket was carried to the hearse, she added.
Pickard’s cousin, Jennifer Hart, said that his grandmother, his brother Austin, his aunts and uncles and his cousins were all there.
“It was just very overwhelming,” she said, adding that Wednesday morning made her cousin's death seem real to her.
Another volunteer with Welcome Home Soldiers, Rosalie Howerton, said volunteers from the organization have gone to some funerals of military members in the last year.
She also mentioned two soldiers from East Texas who were wounded, but not killed, in Afghanistan and that one of them is currently in Florida waiting to come back to Tyler.
“It was just an honor to come out and be here for Heath and his family,” Howerton said.
As the motorcade made its way to a funeral home in Palestine, Hart said the family was thankful to the Frankston and Palestine communities for their support.
Owens said that members of the Frankston High School student body and community watched as the motorcade made its way through the town, and at least some of the people were holding flags.
“It was unbelievable, but that’s how Frankston is. They kind of take care of their own,” she said.
Pickard was killed by indirect fire in Diyala, Province, Iraq last Thursday.
Hart said her cousin went to Fort Benning in Georgia for basic training shortly after he graduated from Frankston High School in 2006.
“(He wanted to join the military) because he loved his country,” she said.
In October 2006, Hart said Pickard went to Alaska and was stationed there before being deployed to Iraq on his 21st birthday, Sept. 18 of this year. He and his wife Sara had a 4-month-old son named Ethan.
Pickard is not the only military member in his family or in his Frankston High School graduating class. Hart said Pickard’s 22-year-old brother Austin is stationed in Germany and flew back for the funeral.
Out of Pickard’s graduating class of 60, Owens said six went into the military. About 10 to 15 percent of each Frankston High School graduating class joins the military each year, she said.
Owens said Pickard was a football and baseball player while he attended Frankston High School.
“He loved baseball,” Hart said. “He’s loved baseball since he was three years old.”
The school is planning to remember its former football and baseball player. Owens said Friday night’s football game against the Arp Tigers will be dedicated to Pickard, and he will definitely be mentioned at a future school program for Veterans Day.
“He always wanted honor and respect, and he accomplished his goals,” she said. “He really was an awesome kid.”
The funeral is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Evangelistic Temple in Palestine.
Staff Writer Kenneth Dean contributed to this report.
Updated Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 at 2:12 p.m. CDT
