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First Lt. Jones laid to final rest
The flag, which was folded after the playing of echoed Taps, was formally presented to Elaine Jones, Ryan's mother, by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Brown. Elaine and Kevin Jones gripped hands alongside the grave of their only son as the military honored a fallen comrade and friends and family mourned the loss of the 23-year-old Westminster resident. "My son's many awards and accomplishments would make any parent proud," Kevin Jones said, eulogizing his son. Ryan was a combat engineer assigned to Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. The 1st Lieutenant was killed while on patrol outside Baghdad, Iraq, searching for and dismantling roadside IEDs on Wednesday, May 2. He and Spc. Astor A. Sunsin-Pineda, 20, were killed in a blast that also injured three other members of the platoon. "God gave him a mission and when his mission was complete God called him back to himself," said Deacon Stanley Baczewski during his Homily. "If you're outside one night and look up at the stars and they seem a bit brighter, it's not the stars it is Ryan's smile reflecting back at us."
Members of the Christopher and Jones families joined the mourners, as did more than 100 members of the Patriot Guard, classmates of Ryan's at Worcester Polytechnic Institute - from which he graduated in 2005 - and Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School - from which he graduated in 2001. Many of those who gathered worn yellow and black ribbons, in a church decorated with red, white and blue ribbons and flowers. Among the mourners were Gov. Deval Patrick - who took a few moments after the ceremony to speak with Kevin Jones - Sen. Stephen Brewer and Robert Antonioni, and Rep. Lew Evangelidis.
"We will now pause for 10 seconds of smiles," Elaine Jones said as she started the eulogy to her son. It was a comment that caused those present to smile and laugh through their tears. "Ryan would say carry on and go make a difference," she said. Elaine Jones asked those attending the Mass to attend a Memorial Day celebration as part of the eulogy to her son "I want you to go out and celebrate his life by attending a Memorial Day ceremony, not just for him but for everyone who has died to let you live your life this way," she said.
Members of the Westminster and Gardner communities also showed their respect for the fallen solider by standing outside the Holy Spirit Church in Gardner after the Mass and along the processional route. The processional, led by a Westminster Police cruiser, included more than 100 motorcycles ridden by members of the Patriot Guard, two Massachusetts State Police cruisers, and the more than 300 people that filled Holy Spirit Church. More than 200 residents lined the corners of Main and Nicholas streets as the processional drove to the cemetery. The crowd was a mixture of the young and old - of veterans, Little League players and parents. Some held signs saying "Lt. Jones you are my hero" or "Thank you," others waved American flags, while some just removed their hats as a sign of respect. American flags flew at half-staff on flagpoles, decorated gardens, and hung from the front doors of homes along the processional route. Westminster Police closed Main Street while the processional took the turn on to Nichols Street before proceeding under an American flag hung between two fire trucks across the roadway.
At the burial, Brown presented the Joneses with four medals that Ryan had earned through his recent military service on behalf of Pete Beren, the Secretary of the U.S. Army. The first awarded to him was the Bronze Star for distinguished heroic or meritorious achievement or service. Brown said Jones had earned this for his "selfless service" among other actions in the field.
Ryan had been stationed in Baghdad for nearly three months when he was killed, so for his service there he was awarded the Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.
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