Words were hard to find for friends and family of Brad Clemmons Thursday afternoon as the Air Force Master Sergeant made his final trip home.
Clemmons, 37, was killed August 21, 2006, in Iraq after an improvised explosive device destroyed the Humvee he was in.
Brad's wife, Rebecca, smiled as she remembered her husband prior to Thursday's funeral services, during which Clemmons was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
"He was a great man. He loved people, he loved kids, he loved this country and he loved working for the Air Force," she said.
Rebecca said she and her husband had returned to Chillicothe every year of their four-year marriage, usually in December. She laughed thinking of the times Brad would drive her onto Ross County's back roads - roads she now knows by heart.
John Stubbs, of Waverly, greeted Rebecca prior to the beginning of the services. He fumbled his words slightly, not knowing quite what to say. Stubbs is a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group dedicated to protecting grieving families from anti-war protesters through non-violent means.
"I'm just glad the other side wasn't here," Stubbs said.
"Thanks so much," Rebecca said. "I appreciate seeing you guys."
Once back in line outside the funeral home with the other riders, Stubbs said he and the rest of the volunteers were invited by the family and just want to show their support for the fallen serviceman.
"I don't know how to say it," Stubbs said. "If I can do anything, and I'm sure the other (riders) feel the same, they'd jump right in."
Technical Sergeant Tim Sterner had known Brad since October 1995. The two remained close despite being separated by thousands of miles. Brad was the best man in Sterner's wedding.
Sterner is trim with broad shoulders who carries himself with formality. On this day, his face broke and his eyes watered as he began talking about his fallen friend.
"He's the kind of guy who would give you anything," Sterner said, looking through the window of the funeral home toward the riders holding flags outside. "I'm sure there are better ways of putting that."
Sterner said his friend was not only a good friend, but a good soldier.
"What's the best way to put it? When he saw a job that needed done, he'd latch onto it. He was a bulldog," Sterner said.
"If it needed done, it was getting done, and nothing was going to stop him," Rebecca said.
Pastor Doug Hudson, the pastor of Trinity Reform Church in Ramstein, Germany, conducted the funeral service. Brad and Rebecca met while they both were stationed in Germany and attended the church led by Hudson, an Army Reserve chaplain.
"The one thing I can say about Brad: I'm not sure he was afraid of anything," Hudson said.
Hudson spoke of Brad's professionalism and extensive knowledge in diverse areas. He spoke directly to Brad's two sons, 3-year-old daughter and Rebecca, who, shortly before Brad was killed, told him she was pregnant. Hudson quoted Ecclesiastes and told the family there was a time for every season.
"I want you to remember these seasons in particular: there is a time to be born and a time for laughter," Hudson said.
Rebecca kept her composure during the service and read a poem she had written for Brad.
"I wrote this a long time ago when we were dating," she tells the audience.
The poem, titled "Tomorrow," is a requiem on parting.
"As you leave tomorrow, you will take my light,
As you leave tomorrow, you will take my night."
"As you leave tomorrow, promise we won't be far apart.
"As you leave tomorrow, promise the love will never part."
When she finished the 20 lines of verse, Brad's mother and other friends said a few words about him. "I never really realized what a wonderful, wonderful child I had made," said Brad's mother, Pamela Clemmons. "He gave his life for his country and he'd gladly go back and do it again."
Brad Clemmons' body made the trip from Iraq to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, and then to Pittsburgh, where a motorcade of Columbus City Police officers and State Highway Patrol escorted him to Haller Funeral Home in Chillicothe. It was one of the final legs of a journey that began when Clemmons was deployed to Iraq. His travels will end at 1 p.m. Tuesday when he is laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, resting place for thousands who have given their lives in service of their country.
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