Wasn't sure if I should make a new post or not. If so, just let me know and I will.
An update on the situation here. First off, thanks for the suggestion of the Patriot Guard, fantastic group of men and women there. Very respectful. This picture made it to the front page of the newspaper here in town. I'm surprised it turned out at all since emotions were so high for me. I thought I would share this and and the story that was published about Lt. Donnie Carwile. C&C welcome but don't be too harsh, not easy taking pictures of a friends funeral. Oh, and his wife requested this so no disrespect was done here (we were all friends anyway, just didn't know his parents that well)
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Donnie Carwile was remembered Saturday as a man defined by discipline, determination and duty his focused drive to serve his country matched only by the tender affection he held for his two little girls.
The husband, father, soldier and former Oxford police officer was laid to rest at Oxford Memorial Cemetery, after some 700 people gathered for his funeral service at North Oxford Baptist Church. He was killed in action in Afghanistan on Aug. 15 at age 29.
Today we honor him as a fallen hero but not a forgotten one, said Bro. Jerry East, the familys pastor at Yellow Leaf Baptist Church.
Donnie Carwile did not die in vain. We are a free people today because of men and women just like him.
Scenes from Carwiles life shared as a photo slideshow during the service offered a poignant contrast between his military service and family life, showing him under the desert sun with Humvees and fatigues, as well as at birthday parties and carousel rides alongside two grinning girls with ribbons in their hair.
His two daughters, 5-year-old Elizabeth Reese and 3-year-old Avery Claire, did not join their mother, Jennifer, at their fathers funeral.
When Donnie left them, he said goodbye, and thats the goodbye theyll remember, said Bro. Randy Hope of First Baptist Church of Abbeville, Carwiles boyhood home church.
See you on the high ground
Speaking through the pastors at Saturdays funeral were Carwiles commanding officer in Afghanistan, as well as his father, Lafayette County Sheriffs Department deputy Dennis Carwile. Donnie Carwile himself was quoted by Hope, in seeking to explain the reasons why he sought to serve overseas in the face of danger.
I have a duty to serve my country and to lead and mentor young men, Donnie Carwile had written about two years ago in support of his application to Officer Candidate School.
This to me makes a good platoon leader. I would like nothing more than to be a platoon leader, helping and looking after young men.
To get to that point, Donnie Carwile had managed to work his way through college as a police officer while also fulfilling the roles of a husband and father. Of the determination shown by his son in pursuing that course, Dennis Carwile said in a statement read by Hope that his son had achieved what seemed an unreachable goal.
You are a parents pride and joy, Dennis Carwile wrote. You set out to follow in my footsteps, but you set higher goals than I could have accomplished.
From Afghanistan, a statement from Donnie Carwiles commanding officer, Capt. Roger Hill, relayed how his experience as a law enforcement officer had prepared him and his platoon for their task in building the Afghan police force.
You did good, Donnie, East quoted Hill as saying at the infield memorial service held in Afghanistan.
You always did right by this company, and more importantly, by your men.... Well see you on the high ground.
Showing respect
At the cemetery, mourners stood under umbrellas or bare-headed beneath drizzling rain. Members of the Patriot Guard motorcycle group from Mississippi and surrounding states held American flags and lined the sidewalk along North 16th Street, their presence a tradition in recent years at military funerals.
The route between the church and cemetery was dotted with signs and supporters, as Oxford and Lafayette County neighbors who may not have known the family sought ways to show their support from the sidelines.
A sign reading You are our hero, Donnie was stretched along North Lamar Boulevard in front of Three-Way Grocery. At Shivers Towing, an American flag was hoisted above the road by the hook of a tow truck.
As the funeral procession passed a parking lot just south of the church, Greg Hensley stood saluting the line of cars as his wife, Pamela, and their four children held their hands to their hearts.
Freedom isnt free, said Hensley, a U.S. Army veteran of the Persian Gulf War who today operates a plumbing and electric company.
The Hensleys, joined by Pamelas boss Ryland Sneed of Precision Engineering, communicated silent solidarity with the passing procession by hanging an American flag and Greg Hensleys service uniform in the open rear door of their SUV.
This man gave his life, said Hensley, who served as a sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division.
I didnt have to pay this price, he said. The least we can do is take a few minutes to pay respect and to honor what he stood for.
Please leave your opinions about the war at the door. Regardless of your feelings he died for what HE believed in, our freedom here in the states. Whether you agree or not he gave his life for all of us.
![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/32/32945-a29b33c040ad72e4b783ea5e431cec65.jpg?1734162786)
![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/34/34052-c6933243940b9ae3474b0a2abaa08312.jpg?1734164460)
![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/35/35265-c9ea3efd2c618a57ea136e63ad106880.jpg?1734166927)
![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/32/32181-195f34b5d304506aafc7ec317f64563f.jpg?1734161047)