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| The hearse, transporting the body of Pfc. Michael Pearson, a Bolingbrook soldier killed in Fort Hood, was led in a procession from the National Guard Armory at Midway Airport to a funeral home in Joliet. CBS |
Posted: Thursday, 12 November 2009 1:07PM
Bolingbrook Soldier Killed In Ft. Hood Back Home
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CHICAGO (CBS) ― A local hero killed in the massacre at Fort Hood is now back in Chicago. A plane carrying the body of soldier Michael Pearson landed at Midway airport Thursday morning.
CBS 2's Susan Carlson reports that this is the first opportunity for the family to get a chance to view the casket of Pfc. Michael Pearson, and they requested cameras be kept away at a distance.
The hearse, which will transport the body of Pfc. Michael Pearson to a funeral home, pulled into the National Guard Armory at Midway Airport.
His family followed in the limo behind. There were long faces on spectators who gathered on the sidewalk across the street.
"It's one thing to know your son is going to war and you could lose him," said Patriot Guard Rider Mike O'Malley. "But for something as senseless as what happened at Fort Hood, it's triply hard for the family. I don't know how they can deal with it."
The Patriot Guard Motorcycle Brigade was on hand to assist in the ceremony taking place surrounding Pearson's arrival.
O'Malley was asked what impression they want to leave on Pearson's family and any other witnesses Thursday.
"There are a lot of people who care and appreciate what he did," O'Malley said.
"It's respect for a fallen soldier," said Patriot Rider Fred Vukadinovic. "A lot of us vets have been there, understand this. Someone needs to stand for these people so here we are."
Yet, they admit it's a tough thing to do.
"You're dealing with parents whose children have died," Vukadinovic said. "Yeah, it's very taxing. It's hard job."
Illinois State Police led the Patriot Guard and the hearse in a procession from the Armory to the Dames Funeral Home in Joliet.
Along the way, they will stop for remembrances at Pearson's home in Bolingbrook, Bolingbrook High School, where he graduated from in 2006, and several local police and fire stations that have set up memorial displays.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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