A 21-gun salute, four helicopters flying overhead and remarks from a general with the National Guard were part of a military funeral Saturday in Lula for Major Kevin Jenrette.
Jenrette was one of three Georgia guardsmen killed in action in Afghanistan. The men died near Kapisa, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device and small arms fire.
People lined the road to Timber Ridge Baptist Church in Lula Saturday afternoon waving flags. Among those were motorcycle riders with the Patriot Guard.
The flag-draped coffin was brought to the church in a horse-drawn carriage. Military personal walked alongside it at was taken inside the church. Jenrette’s wife, Shannon, and their three small children sat at the front of the church, along other family members. The church was overflowing with family, friends and military personnel.
During the funeral, Major General William Nesbitt, adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard, spoke on Jenrette’s service and the resolve of the members of his unit in Afghanistan to “finish the job.”
The Rev. Anthony Cook spoke on Jenrette’s love of children and recalled seeing him surrounded by children at the rehearsal dinner for his wedding.
The Rev. Dean Bryant remembered Jenrette as a devoted Christian and family man. He said he saw his testimony through the way he lived his life.
The casket was taken from the church to the nearby cemetery by the horse-drawn carriage. Family and friends inside the church, as well as those in the fellowship hall and outside the church, walked over to the nearby gravesite.
During the graveside service, four military helicopters flew overhead, bagpipes played and Taps was performed. A line of seven military personnel presented a 21-gun salute.
The City of Lula placed flags along several city streets to honor and acknowledge the sacrifices and loss that the Jenrette family and the community have experienced. This is the second solider from Lula who has died while serving in the military.
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With our most sincere respect for the price your family has paid for our security.
RANGER CREED
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight; I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy, and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor.
SSG THOMAS
KOSOVO 2000
IRAQ 2003
RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!!!!
Who has served his time in Hell,
Is may we learn the lessons of war well,
That we not doom future generations,
The same old tales of horror to tell,
To endure what in youth they see mistakenly as glory.
Oh God, do not let our children
Repeat the same old story.
Make it so that America's babies live to grow old
In this land of the free and the bold.
Help us throw off the shackles of hate that bind
And grow old in a life of a peaceful kind.
Teach us that there is no glory in war,
Nor honor there that brave men should not abhor.
Teach us instead, one for another our brothers to love.
Shower us with thine Celestial message from above,
That we plant seeds of peace evermore
And make war-no-more!
But if I should die on some far, far away battlefield
Know I answered the call
For a grand principle of freedom to yield.
My fervent prayer is that death
May not have been in vain
Fighting for peace and right for the world to attain.
My brothers, American roses standing by my side
On alien soil dying
In the summer of my youthful pride
All the leaves around me falling,
Now I’m lying here still, in sunshine and in shadow,
Longing to hear, “brother next door, I love you so."
For moldering in the soft ground below,
I feel you living and loving in the world above me
Standing tall because I fought that you might be...
Oh look ye down now,
And tell me you still think of me
Honor my red blood, spilt that others might stand free.
Tell me that I did not give my all for you in vain
That brothers and sisters do not look upon my sacrifice
With hateful,
Or even worse,
Uncaring disdain.
Do not forget me when my valley’s hushed
And white with snow,
Grass growing green in the summer of my meadow
Help me see the peace I lived and died for grow.
Make my lonely grave richer,
Sweeter be...
Make this truly,
"The land of the free
And the home of the brave,"
I gave my life to save
That I might too, lie eternally,
Forever free...
This is for Major Jenrette and all the men and women who gave and give there lives for my freedom
God be with all and there families