Sgt. Christopher Roger Bell was not from Columbus; he was from the tiny town of Golden, nearly two hours away. He did not live in Mississippi when he died; he was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, where he, his wife, and his baby girl were building the beginnings of a new life.
But when that life was cut short by a roadside bomb in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan June 4, Bell came back to the city where his mother was raised — a city that could not claim him in life but embraced him in death with a hero’s welcome that jammed the streets and flooded the sidewalks in a sea of red, white and blue.
Bell, 21, was one of four members of the U.S. Army’s 793rd Military Police Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, who died in Laghman Province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked their mobile patrol. Bell went to Afghanistan in March to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom.
He was laid to rest Friday afternoon in Columbus during a solemn ceremony underscored by rumors that picketers had arrived from Westboro Baptist — a Kansas church known for protesting military funerals.
If the group set foot on Mississippi soil, no one saw them, which was exactly the intent of the local residents who gathered along the five-mile route between Memorial Funeral Home on Second Avenue North and Living Faith Tabernacle Cemetery on Shelton Street.
Almost every man, woman, and child held an American flag. At least two men were seen holding rifles near United Deli on Tuscaloosa Road.
Terrie Songer, public information officer for the Columbus Police Department, said she was not aware of the gun-toting onlookers, and no major incidents — from locals or out-of-towners — marred the day.
“Everything went smoothly,” she said. “It was a sight to behold.”
Standing Guard
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders — most clad in denim and arriving on motorcycles — rumbled into town Thursday afternoon in case there was trouble at that night’s visitation or Friday’s funeral.
The national group, which has more than 249,000 members, was formed in August 2005 as a response to Westboro Baptist’s plans to protest the funeral of Sgt. John Doles of Oklahoma.
Ed Baker, state captain of the Mississippi chapter of the Patriot Guard, said though people often confuse them for a motorcycle club or anti-protest group, they are actually more of an honor guard, attending military, law enforcement and firefighter funerals only when requested by the families.
They do not speak to, or interact with, protesters. Their primary mission is to show respect for the fallen and shield mourners from “the uglies.”
Hecklers are drowned out by the roar of revving engines. Sign-waving picketers are blocked from sight by giant American flags, rows of motorcycles and a human shield of volunteers, many of whom drive across the country for the funerals.
Baker came from Gulfport on Thursday and stood sentry with other members of the Patriot Guard that night as people walked up the rain-slickened steps of the funeral home for Bell’s visitation.
Friday morning, he and several hundred other members of the Patriot Guard were present once more for the memorial service and funeral.
Inside the chapel, Bell’s body lay in repose in a silver casket draped with an American flag. Outside, the Patriot Guard mingled with people like Rochelle Hughes, who came in response to a Facebook post which mentioned the funeral and the possibility of protesters.
Her father was a Vietnam veteran. Her brother served two tours of duty in Iraq. Her son is in the National Guard. She couldn’t imagine the pain Bell’s mother must be going through. She couldn’t bear the thought of that pain being intensified.
“My heart just broke for this family, especially at the thought of someone protesting,” Hughes said.
Members of the Southerland family sat on a porch near the funeral home and discussed Westboro Baptist.
Thomas Southerland, a member of First Baptist Church and a Vietnam veteran, said he wished Westboro members would remove the word “Baptist” from their name.
“They claim to be Christians, but I don’t see that what they’re doing has any Christian bearing,” he said. “It’s an insult to the family. This isn’t the American spirit.”
His cousin, Tommy Southerland, had even harsher words.
“I want to show those people coming wherever they’re coming from that they need to go back, because that’s not the way it’s done here,” he said.
A few miles away, Lighting Unlimited employee Carole Moss stood outside the store on Gardner Boulevard and waited for the funeral procession to pass. Earlier in the day, she received word of the funeral literally through the grapevine — a phone call from The Grapevine frame shop.
Moss bought American flags to distribute to employees at nearby businesses, and she encouraged them to greet the procession as it made its way to the cemetery.
“I wanted to show support for our troops,” she explained. “I thought maybe the family would feel a little better to see that even people who didn’t know him care.”
Saying goodbye
More than 200 people packed the funeral home chapel to mourn. Soft music played as dim lights bathed the room in an amber glow. Behind a wall, shielded from public view, sat Bell’s mother and father, Barbara and Timothy Bell; his wife, Samantha; his one-year-old daughter, Lana Nicole; and other family members.
Brig. Gen. Kenneth Roberts, director of mobilization for Army Forces Command, presented Bell with the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, NATO Medal and Combat Action Badge.
A representative from Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley’s office presented him with a Distinguished Service Medal.
“I didn’t know Chris before today,” Roberts said. “But what I learned is Chris and his family symbolize everything that’s right with America. Chris loved life. He lived to serve others. His handprint was made across this Army and will remain.”
Before the service, Millport, Ala., resident Clifton Johnson III slipped inside the funeral home to speak to Bell’s mother. Johnson’s son, Sgt. Clifton D. Johnson IV, died Aug. 14, 2007, while on a mission in Egypt. He was 24.
It’s not easy, Johnson said. In the early days, he could barely eat. Sleep was impossible. You don’t overcome it, but you learn to live with it, he told the family. The first year is the hardest. After that, the pain eases up a bit, but it’s always there.
“I wanted to support them, because people supported me when my boy got killed,” Johnson said. “You feel for the families, because you’ve been there, and you know what they’re going through.”
He said the thought of anyone protesting a soldier’s funeral turns his stomach.
“It’s bad enough losing them,” he said. “You go to bed crying, and you wake up crying. It’s just rough.”
A final salute
Funeral home director Craig Summerford estimated more than 500 people came to the cemetery to watch as white-gloved military officials presented flags to Bell’s parents and wife.
Many saluted or placed their hands over their hearts as the mournful strains of “Taps” drifted across the hot summer breeze. Others blocked the view of the highway with flags in case protesters used that route to disrupt the funeral.
But the only people seen on the overpass were a few drivers who stopped to witness the proceedings.
“The community response was overwhelming,” Summerford said. “This was my first [Killed in Action] funeral, and I hope it’s my last. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen so many American flags in one place.”
Roberts said Bell epitomized the American soldier of today. They are not drafted, he pointed out. They join by choice.
“They know what they’re going into, but we don’t have any problems filling the ranks,” Roberts said.
The family, speaking through a military casualty liaison, said they appreciated the people who came out to support them.
Funeral services were also held this week for Bell’s fallen comrad
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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