Tearful Goodbye for Fallen Marine
Leonard Smith addressed about 1,200 people who came out to say goodbye to his son, Sgt. David Smith, 25.
"Your presence here today pays tribute to not only Sgt. David Smith, but to all of our fallen warriors who answered the call of duty willingly -- willingly -- and proudly served their country and made the ultimate sacrifice, and gave their lives so we could live in freedom," Smith said.
The funeral service at the Frederick Christian Fellowship drew Frederick High School graduates, East Carolina University students, Marines and countless others who remembered Smith's laugh, dance moves, stubbornness and love for his family.
Brian Forse, Smith's brother-in-law and former sergeant, recalled several conversations they had about family while serving in Iraq together. He joked about a time during training when he had just been promoted to corporal and Smith decided to mess with him and ignore his orders to show who was really in charge.
Speaking in the packed church, Forse expressed his more personal feelings about Smith, saying he embodied all the qualities a Marine should have.
Smith's girlfriend, Kimberly Mott, also spoke to the group, saying he was the most loving man she'd ever met and cared more about his family than anything else in the world.
"He put his heart and his soul into everyone he ever knew," she said. "Every time he'd call home, he was just so eager to learn about everybody. He never wanted to tell me what was going on (in Afghanistan), his heart was here; how are they, how's my family?"
Kristen Forse, Smith's sister, said the ceremony was beautiful. Brian Forse said he thought it was a fitting tribute to Smith and thanked the Marines who served with him and Smith for coming out and showing their support.
"There's a comfort in the brotherhood we have. It kind of gives you peace," Brian Forse said.
Among the guests were Cpl. George O'Sullivan and Lance Cpl. Michael Hoey, who were injured in the Jan. 23 suicide bombing that killed Smith and two other service members in the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion Company B. Leonard Smith recognized them at the beginning of the funeral, and the guests thanked them for their service through a standing ovation.
Also at the funeral were Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and many top Fort Detrick officials. Leonard Smith works at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, and Fort Detrick showed sympathy to its employee by flying flags at half-staff for the past few days, as well as bringing out many soldiers to help serve food after the service. "I came to pay my respects to a Marine who served bravely and who, from everything I read in the newspaper, was well-loved by his community and his family, and who loved being a Marine," said Maj. Gen. James Gilman, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.
The snowy roads and the threat of more snow in the afternoon hampered the burial plans at Arlington National Cemetery. Smith's grave site was covered in more than two feet of snow, so the Marines performed an abbreviated ceremony in another part of the cemetery. They folded a flag to present to Smith's mother, Mary Jane McWilliams, played taps and gave a three-volley salute.
A few hundred people, many in two chartered buses, drove to the Virginia cemetery, with the funeral procession winding down I-270 and the Beltway. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office, accompanied by the Frederick Police Department and the Maryland State Police, blocked traffic for the procession throughout almost all of the two-hour ride.
