Post by Blaque on Oct 24, 2006 10:47:41 GMT -5
Wiping away tears from their eyes, loved ones of a local war hero came together to celebrate his life.
21 year old Leebernard Chavis died from a sniper's bullet last weekend in Iraq, while on his second tour of duty.
On Monday, at an emotional ceremony in Hampton, hundreds of friends and family gathered to say goodbye.
In his two years with the Air Force, Airman First Class Chavis advanced to become one of the best of the best. He was a member of an elite group of warriors, the Special Forces Unit.
Close friend Isaac Blanton said, "He went over there because he knew he was helping people. He genuinely believed in the purpose and he gave his life to it."
Chavis never wavered, even in the line of fire.
The Air Force gave Chavis high honors, posthumously awarding him the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart at a memorial service at the Messiah Center in Hampton.
Chavis gave his life protecting fellow squad members and Iraqi citizens.
He manned a .50-caliber machine gun in a turret atop a truck, and eventually lost his life to a sniper's bullet.
"They called him the Guardian Angel because the position he sat in, when they went out, to do what they do over there. It's not about coincidence they call him the Guardian Angel," Blanton said.
It was his personality that his friends and relatives will remember the most.
"He made people smile with his presence," Colonel John Decknick, commander of Lee's unit, said.
Friend Dustin Johnson said, "His presence alone just brought another spirit out of everybody he touched. I just miss him, man, I love him to death. God rest his soul."
Yet smiles somehow shone through tears.
Pastor Joe Baker with the Messiah Center said, "Everybody was still able to find that smile and I know that would have made him so happy."
At the service Monday, there was dancing, music, and an appearance by the Phoebus High School drum line, a fitting tribute to a young man who did so much.
"We did it the way we knew he would want it."
Chavis will be buried Tuesday afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery.