In Loving Memory of

PFC Kerry David Scott

Combat Veterans International

Escort on October 14, 2003

Concrete honors fallen hero
CONCRETE — In a single motion, members of the 10th Mountain Division Honor Guard lifted an American flag off the casket of 21-year-old Kerry Scott, a member of their unit killed in a roadside attack in Iraq.

The green-clad soldiers pulled the flag tight and began to fold it into a perfect triangle. Forest Park Cemetery was engulfed in silence. Even the wind was still. Then a soft sound broke through as mourners began to weep.

Members of Scott's family, seated under a faded green canopy at graveside, reached out to one another, clasping hands and holding each other.

Before them on a wooden pedestal, a photograph of Pfc. Scott smiled out at a group of people who are only just beginning to comprehend his loss in a place and in a war so far away.

Scott was killed Monday, Oct. 6, when a homemade bomb struck his convoy in Iskandariyah, about 60 miles southwest of Baghdad in central Iraq. He had been in Iraq just a month, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

Friends and family said Scott always wanted to be a soldier. He enlisted in the Army before he finished high school in Concrete

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Scott was more eager than ever to serve his country, said U.S. Army Chaplain Benjamin Collins, who officiated at Scott's military graveside service Tuesday in Concrete.

"Kerry, even though he was already signed up, went to a recruiter after 9-11 to ask if he could go in sooner," Collins said. "He was eager to fight this war against terrorism, but more importantly for freedom."

As Collins spoke, 150 mourners of all ages encircled the canopy and its quiet sadness.

Standing beside Scott's family, leather-clad motorcyclists from Combat Veterans International wiped their eyes, although most had not known the soldier for whom the service was held

Along the outskirts of the circle, aging veterans from earlier wars stared toward the ground while dressed in ceremonial blue military dress.

In front of them, couples held hands as the emotions of Scott's family spread through the people who had touched the life of Kerry Scott and his family in one way or another.

They included coworkers of Kerry's father and high school friends who used to hang out at the mall with Kerry. Others at the funeral did not know the Scotts, but traveled from near and far hoping to somehow share the burden of the family's loss.

The tribute to Scott began in Sedro-Woolley, where a dozen members of the Combat Veterans on Harley-Davidsons led a rumbling funeral procession from Lemley Funeral Chapel to the Concrete cemetery.

Along the way, people lined Highway 20 holding American flags in Scott's honor.

Richard and Sheryl Parker said that although they don't know Scott's family, they wanted to do something to show their support

"Our hearts go out to them," Sheryl Parker said, as her husband held a flag out toward the road. "Their son's a hero."

At the cemetery, white-gloved casket bearers in green uniforms and matching berets carried Scott's casket under the canopy and set it down before his family, while the Combat Veterans stood at attention

.

The gathered crowd gave the family a wide berth out of respect to their grief, until Chaplain Collins held out his arms and urged people to come closer.

Collins said Scott's death carries a message that "it's time for us to seize the day."

"When Private Kerry Scott fell, he left a big hole in his unit and in his family. There is no way to fill that hole," Collins said. "But there is a way for us to stand taller and do more in honor of Kerry and all those who have died for the sake of freedom."

A full honor guard fired a ceremonial 21-gun salute that pierced the silence. As the last gunshots echoed into the distance, a solitary soldier standing among the graves began to play taps.

Under the canopy, Scott's father, David Scott, was presented with a folded flag, Bronze Star and Purple Heart in honor of his son's sacrifice. Scott's mother, Paula Hartzell, also was presented with a flag.

After the service, David Scott's coworkers said the last time Scott talked with his son in Iraq it was a short conversation. Kerry had told his father that he was just trying to stay alive and keep his head down, they said.

"That's his boy," said Jason Renfro of Mount Vernon, who works with the senior Scott at Commercial Cold Storage in Mount Vernon. "It's terrible."

Standing nearby, Chris and Shelise Younker said they were part of a group that used to spend time with Kerry Scott during high school.

Eighteen-year-old Shelise said Scott came by last year to tell her he was leaving for Iraq, but she wasn't home to say goodbye.

"He was a great guy," she said. "I wish I could have been a larger part of his life."

Chris Younker said Scott was not the kind of person to blend in and take the easy path in life.

"He was not traditional," he said. "Instead of conformity, he realized you could still do good and be your own person."

Jamie Nyberg traveled 220 miles from eastern Washington to attend the service.

Nyberg, who served in the first Gulf War 12 years ago, said his friends questioned why he would go all that way to attend the funeral of someone he did not know.

"I told them, if that was your son or daughter, you'd want people to remember them."

By STEVE HOWIE, Skagit Valley Herald

Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.

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