November 11, 2009

Thousands line streets for Sgt. Dale Griffin's funeral procession

By Howard Greninger

TERRE HAUTE — Tammy Alkire stood with a small U.S. flag in her hand near Fourth Street and Wabash Avenue, moments before the annual Veterans Day parade started Wednesday along Wabash Avenue through downtown Terre Haute.

She waited to see a procession honoring fallen U.S. Army Sgt. Dale Griffin, killed Oct. 27 by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

“My youngest son is in his fourth tour. He is in Afghanistan, the second time he has been there,” said Alkire, 51, of Terre Haute.

Her son, John R. Alkire III, 24, serves in the U.S. Air Force as a military police/medic.

“He went into the service right after high school. He has been in five years. Most of the time he has been overseas in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Alkire said.

Alkire said the death of Griffin “really hit home, really close for me. I respect the family. I am here for that family, for my son, and all the men and women that are out there to protect our country. It would be hard to be on that side of the road,” Alkire said, as she watched a caravan form behind a hearse carrying Griffin’s flag-draped coffin.

Her husband, John Alkire II, who also served in the military, planned to wear a beret their son gave him last year and drive a motorcycle to escort Griffin’s body to Terre Haute South Vigo High School for a funeral.

Alkire also wore small pin on her shirt. The pin is a small rectangle outlined in red, with a blue star in the middle, signifying she has a relative serving in action. “To me it is just good luck. I think as long as I wear it, he [her son] will be safe. It’s just a mother thing,” she said.

The parade carried an atmosphere of a procession. A quiet hush permeated Wabash Avenue as thousands watched the hearse carry Griffin’s coffin at the front of the parade.

As the hearse passed near Ninth Street and Wabash Avenue, a long ladder was stretched out over the top of a Terre Haute Fire Department engine.

At the end of the ladder, in a metal basket draped with a large U.S. flag, firefighters Lt. Dave Black, a military veteran, and Charlie Karr, saluted as the vehicle passed underneath.

The parade did meet a Terre Haute phenomenon. At 10:10 a.m., a train interrupted the parade just east of 9 1/2 Street. The parade was halted until 10:13 a.m. as the train sped off through the city.

Arriving early

Many spectators found a favorite spot well before the 10 a.m. start of the parade.

By 8 a.m., James Mott, 63, had already selected a site across from the city parking garage along Wabash Avenue. Mott said he attends the Veterans Day parade every year.

“I just want to show my respect. I have been coming since I was this high,” he said, holding his hand level at his waist.

Mott said he supports the parade being a procession in honor of fallen U.S. Army Sgt. Dale Griffin. “It shows respect for those who served our country.”

Not far away, Nancy Kenworthy, 69, sat in a folding chair next to her granddaughter, the two covered in a large blanket. Her granddaughter, Colleen Funk, an 11-year-old student at Dixie Bee Elementary, also was covered in her favorite pink blanket with drawings of cats.

“This is the first time in a very long time I have been to the Veterans Day parade,” Kenworthy said. “My granddaughter did not have school, so I wanted her to see this. I think the procession is a good way to honor our soldiers who fight for us everyday. Sometimes I think they get forgotten,” Kenworthy said.

Dave R. Walls, 62, of Terre Haute, served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1970. He served in Vietnam in 1969. He sat on a cold metal bench in front of First Financial Bank near Sixth Street and Wabash Avenue.

“I wanted to see the procession [of Sgt. Griffin] because it makes it more realistic. When I was back in Vietnam, either Time magazine or Life magazine, published the faces of the dead during one month,” Walls said.

“It was page after page. And whether you knew these people or not, it just makes you realize that 25 is more than a number,” Walls said. “People get wrapped up in the number of dead, but until you see the faces, it doesn’t mean anything. It makes you realize the sacrifices that are made.”

Walls said one of those photographs in the magazine, which his mother showed him after returning to the United States, included a friend who served with him in Vietnam.

Another Vietnam veteran, Hubert Hensley Jr., 61, of Farmersburg, sat near the start of the parade, with his wife, Arlene, standing behind him. Hensley said he served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1972, working as a mechanic, attached to an artillery unit. He served in Germany in 1967 and in Vietnam in 1968.

“I think a procession is a good idea. When I came back from Vietnam, they didn’t really appreciate Vietnam vets. We got more boos than anything. I just came to see how this goes. Soldiers don’t get the appreciation that they really need to get,” Hensley said.

Terre Haute attorney Thomas Newlin said his law office — Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin — closed for the parade, allowing 108 office workers to see the procession of Sgt. Griffin.

“We put our flag at half staff in a ceremony about 9:30 a.m. We did this to encourage patriotism and allow everyone to see Sgt. Griffin. We also have two veterans — Jeanie Swalls and Camille Webster, who are staff members,” Newlin said.

Nathan M. Lorey, 18, an Eagle Scout with Boy Scouts Troop 311, VFW Post No. 972, stood in ray of sunlight as he prepared to march in the parade

“I think it has a profoundly different feeling this year. There are a lot more scout members this year,” most likely because of Sgt. Griffin, Lorey said.

“This is a Veterans Day parade I will remember, as it is my last year in Terre Haute before going to college,” he said. Lorey plans to attend Ball State University and major in German. Lorey said he wants to be a teacher at Terre Haute South Vigo High School.

Ceremony ends parade

The parade ended with a ceremony in front of the VFW Post No. 972 at 12th and Eagle streets.

Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett said the city showed a great outpouring of support for veterans.

“Veterans Day comes once a year, but we need to do this every single day and thank those that serve us and stand up for us and allow us to gather like this freely to celebrate a day such as this,” Bennett said.

“I just ask that the Lord be with his [Griffin] family, comfort them and take care of them and for everyone who has someone serving today,” Bennett said.

John A. Kesler, an attorney and World War II veteran, said “we should never let a Veterans Day go by without gathering together and honoring all of our veterans who have given so much in the defense of our country and our freedoms.

Kesler said Wednesday was special day to honor Griffin, “a Terre Haute boy who gave his life for his country and for his community. We grieve for his family and pray that our honoring him will, in a special way, give them some comfort and peace.

“It is so important to remember that the sacrifices we make during our watch did not purchase freedom for us forever. Freedom isn’t something that one can hold and possess, like some material wealth,” Kesler said.

“Freedom is intangible and fragile and must be continually guarded like a precious jewel, lest it be stolen from us,” Kesler said. “It must be tendered and nurtured like a beautiful flower, lest it wither and die.”

“Perhaps freedom must be fought for again, and yet again, and again. So we must always be vigilant and ready for war, but at the same we must seek and pray for peace,” he said.

“God’s word tells us, who are Christians, that we were purchased at a price. Christ died for us that we might have eternal life. There is something of that in our being here in this place on this day, for we recognize that our freedom as Americans was purchased at a price, like this brave warrior from our community...,” Kesler said.



Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

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