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Sergeant John Michael Sullivan of Soddy-Daisy
was given final honors Monday and buried in the National Cemetery.
SGT Sullivan was killed in Baghdad, Iraq, on
December 30, when an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) was detonated
as his Humvee passed. It was the second tour for SGT Sullivan, and
the second IED he had go off near him. He survived the first attack
with only minor injuries, turning down a Purple Heart because it would
have kept him from returning home on schedule.
A member of the 2nd Infantry Division out of
Fort Carson, Colorado, Sullivan was married and the father of two,
including newborn son John Michael, who was born on December 31, the
day after Sullivan was killed.
Monday’s funeral motorcade was estimated to be
at least a mile in length, more when strung out on highways, and took
about 15 minutes to enter the National Cemetery grounds, even though
there were no gaps between cars, and despite that fact that law
enforcement motorcycles and other vehicles had pulled ahead of the
entrance and didn’t come through the gates.
The hearse carrying the body of SGT John
Michael Sullivan passes hundreds of American Flags and well-wishers
entering the Cemetery grounds.
Members of Chapter 942, Vietnam Veterans
of America from Soddy Daisy stand at "Parade Rest" waiting for their
hometown hero to pass by.
Dennis Dent |
Soddy Daisy
Chapter #942
