Spc. Jeffrey Nichols, 21, of Granite Shoals, Texas was killed in action on May 1 in Baghdad from wounds sustained when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device.

Today, I joined with more than 60 members of the Patriot Guard Riders to honor Spc. Nichols as his family laid him to rest at Lakeland Hills Memorial Park near Burnet, TX.

Spc. Nichols is survived by his wife and son, of Marble Falls, Texas, and his mother, of Granite Shoals.

It was especially gut-wrenching to watch his mother and the mother of his infant child have to bury their husband, father, and son on the day before Mother’s Day.

Small town Texas always reaffirms my faith in my fellow man — as we escorted Spc. Nichols and his family through Marble Falls, every single vehicle was pulled to the side of the road, and many people were outside of their cars with their hands over their hearts. As we passed the businesses on Hwy 281 through Marble Falls, almost everyone was outside lining the streets to pay their respects.

I’ve been to numerous PGR missions in Austin, San Antonio, and Houston — and you almost never see people paying respect the way they do in a small town. Everyone is in just too much of a hurry in the city.

Spc. Nichols’ sister, Kara (on the left in the above picture) came over to our group after the burial service to invite us to join them and the community at the VFW in Marble Falls for dinner and fellowship.

Posted by Robbie Cooper on Saturday, May 10th, 2008 | Trackback |