Justin Hebert Benefit Run Memorial - Combat Veterans International 2003

Justin Hebert Benefit Run Memorial Fund

Combat Veterans International

SPC Justin Hebert Silvana soldier killed in Iraq

A U.S. soldier from the town of Silvana was killed and three others were wounded in a rocket-propelled grenade attack on their convoy east of Baghdad, Iraq, the military reported Saturday. The soldier, Justin Hebert, is the first Snohomish County casualty in Iraq.

Published: Sunday, August 17, 2003

A soldier, a friend

By Scott Morris
Herald Writer

SILVANA -- Family and friends shared the anguish of feeling "left in the dust" by the brother, by the friend with the zest for life, by the fallen soldier -- Silvana's war hero, Justin Hebert.

The pain and loving memories flowed freely in Silvana and Arlington Saturday, as about 500 people gathered at Post Middle School in Arlington for a memorial service for Army Spc. Justin Hebert, 20, a paratrooper who was the first Snohomish County resident to be killed in the war in Iraq.

Hebert died Aug. 1 in Kirkuk, Iraq, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck the vehicle he was in.

The memorial service was followed by a full military funeral in the cemetery at the Little White Church on the Hill, formerly Zion Lutheran Church, in Silvana. Hebert was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star by Lt. Gen. Ed Soriano, the commanding officer of Fort Lewis near Tacoma.
Three people closest to Hebert, including his older sister, Jessica Hebert, showed just how deeply painful saying goodbye has been for those who knew him best.

Jessica Hebert bravely stepped up to the podium at Post Middle School and read a poem she wrote to her brother after his death.
"I feel like I've been left behind, left in the dust," Jessica Hebert said.
Her poem spoke of her surprise at how clean-cut her brother turned out and about how she boasted to others when he joined the Army about his dedication to defending the nation.
She drew a few laughs with these lines:
"I'm sorry for all the times I beat you up, but you should've seen it coming -- you should have ducked."
Jessica Hebert also spoke of her disbelief -- "this can't be true." But in the end, the words just weren't enough.
"Justin, I love you," she said, pausing to choke back her sobs, "more than words or thoughts could ever convey. I've got to let you go now."
Clearly overwhelmed, she gripped Ryan McKernan -- whose family helped raise her and Justin Hebert -- in a tight hug.

Army Spc. Brett Rickard, then spoke and held up admirably, especially considering that many people were still openly weeping. Rickard spent what seemed like a full minute composing himself before he spoke.
"I would like to tell you not just about Justin the soldier, but about Justin my friend," Rickard said.
The two boys first met in middle school, when Rickard's family moved to Silvana.
"If you ever needed a hand with something, he was always there," Rickard said.
Rickard joined the Army first, and soon recruited Hebert. Both were encouraged by Army benefits that would allow them to pay for college. Rickard spoke of the pride they shared in going through boot camp together in Fort Sill, Okla.
"Together, we accomplished something other people will never understand," he said.
The two became front-line paratroopers. As part of the 82nd Airborne Brigade, Rickard was sent to Afghanistan, where he served seven months before arriving back at Fort Bragg, N.C., this summer. Hebert was sent with the 173rd Airborne Brigade into Iraq on March 26. His unit will probably be there until April.
"He always did everything his very best," Rickard said of Hebert.

Rickard said he got to talk with Hebert's close friend from the 173rd, Nicholas Matthew Lewis, who accompanied Hebert's body back to Silvana.
"He said Justin was one of the best soldiers his unit had to offer. He said he deserved to move up to the next level and become a battle-commissioned officer and lead other soldiers," Rickard said.
But most of all, Rickard said he will remember Hebert as his friend.
"Goodbye, Justin," Rickard said. "I will always hold you somewhere close to my heart."
Earlier, Lewis talked about how he grew close to Hebert when they were roommates in Italy, where their unit was based before the war.
"Justin was the closest man to a little brother that I ever had," Lewis said. "I remember the first day I met the guy we came to know as J-bird. He was quiet and reserved at first." But over time, Hebert exhibited a "healthy aggression, a lust for success and a zest for life."
The two men bonded, traveling Europe -- Switzerland, Venice, Russia, Germany -- together, and sharing dinners or trips to Taco Bell.
Lewis read a letter that Justin Hebert's father, Bill Hebert, wrote recently, thanking the community for its overwhelming support. Bill Hebert's letter said his son gave his life for all Americans.
Lewis said he was proud to have the honor of bringing Hebert back home.
"I pledge to keep his music loud and his steaks well done," Lewis said. "Rest easy, my brother. You have earned it."
Willow Payne of Silvana brought forward a plaque made by Vietnam veteran and ceramic design artist Robert Sawyer of Fairfield, Iowa, in Hebert's honor. She presented the plaque to Hebert's mother, Robin Hebert, and offered to display it in a memorial near the cafe that she and her husband, Jim, own in Silvana.

Payne said Sawyer will incorporate a similar plaque into a memorial he is helping build in Iowa for soldiers killed in the Iraq war.
"To the rest of us, Justin, you are forever a hero," Payne said.
The service concluded with a computer presentation of childhood photographs accompanied by a recording of bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace."
After Belz gave a benediction, Hebert's cousins, Joey Hebert, Joshua and Joey Brown, Eric and Ryan Schaeffer, and close friends Chad Winterhalter, Ryan McKernan and Rickard lifted the flag-draped casket and carried it outside to the hearse. They wept as the hearse doors closed.
A funeral procession of cars then drove several miles west under a gloomy overcast sky to Silvana's picturesque hilltop cemetery.

Once all had assembled, a military honors team from the 201st Military Intelligence Brigade carried the casket to the grave site. Soldiers and veterans alike saluted as they filed by. Even the leather-clad, grizzled motorcycle bunch from Combat Veterans International looked as if they might shed more than a few tears.
Belz offered some words of comfort and a prayer:
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, we now commit our brother Justin to you, oh, Lord. Amen."
Five members of the honor guard fired three rifle volleys, and a lieutenant from Fort Lewis played taps on a trumpet. The honor guard then removed the flag from Hebert's casket and carefully folded it lengthwise twice, then in a triangle, tucking the last fold inside. The flag was placed in a wooden, triangular case and given to Soriano.
Soriano presented the case to Robin Hebert. The case contained her son's ranks, medals, airborne wings and marksmanship badge, which he earned by being one of his unit's top shooters. Rickard gave a second case with another folded flag to Soriano, who presented that one to Jessica Hebert.
Soriano then presented Robin Hebert with the Purple Heart and Bronze Star awards that her son earned by sacrificing his life.
Ted Carter, commander of American Legion Post 92 in Stanwood, gave Robin Hebert the gold star banner, which can only hang in homes of families who have lost a son or daughter in combat. Also in attendance were members of Arlington's American Legion Post 1561. Members from Post 1040 also attended.
Belz concluded with a benediction. Families slowly drifted to Peace Lutheran Church for a reception.