Thousands gather outside at West Aurora to salute fallen soldier
By Denise Crosby dcrosby@stmedianetwork.com January 20, 2012 11:24AM
A hearse carrying the body of SPC Christopher Patterson proceeds down Commonwealth Avenue on the campus of West Aurora High School where students, staff and military personnel stood and paid their respects on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. | Donnell Collins~For Sun-Times Media
Memorials
Contributions in memory of Christopher Patterson may be directed to:
Valparaiso University, Attn: SPC Christopher A. Patterson Scholarship Fund, Valparaiso University, Office of Advancement, 1100 Campus Drive South, Valparaiso, IN 46383.
West Aurora High School Music Department, Attn: Christopher Patterson Memorial Fund, 1201 W. New York St., Aurora, IL 60506.
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Updated: March 24, 2012 11:30PM
Against the backdrop of gently falling snow and a magnificent two-story American flag, a motorcade that included the remains of Spc. Christopher Patterson wound slowly around West Aurora High School Friday morning, where an estimated 5,000 students and staff, along with hundreds more from the community, gathered outside to pay tribute to the popular 2009 graduate killed Jan. 6 in Afghanistan.
As the black hearse passed the solemn crowd that lined both the high school and Jefferson Middle School on Plum Street, icy tears formed on the faces of many, including students, teachers, classmates and band mates of Christopher’s, parents of his friends, along with old veterans and others who had never met the fallen soldier.
Tod Parish of Aurora was one of many who tried to hold back his emotions as he watched the motorcade. The Aurora man braved the elements to show his respects, in part, as a tribute to his own 27-year-old son, Joshua, who has been a Marine for eight years and served in Iraq.
“They all need to be remembered,” he said as the cold bit at his face.
Some in the crowd took pictures and videos of the heart-tugging procession, where the only sound that could be heard was Toby Keith’s “American Soldier” playing in one of the vehicles. A few waved at the motorcade that included family and friends, as well as police and fire officials and the Patriot Guard Riders, who helped coordinate the event. Others simply stood still, with hands over their hearts and trying to hold in sniffles that had nothing to do with the weather.
Many, like Becky Murphy and her 8-year-old grandson Cody, clutched small American flags. They took on the freezing temperatures and snow, she said, to represents her entire family, including son Tyler, who was a friend and band buddy with Patterson. Her son could not make it home for the funeral because of his studies at the University of Houston, where, like Patterson, he is a music major.
Christopher Patterson was a music student at Valparaiso University and member of the Indiana National Guard, when his unit was called up for duty in Afghanistan. Though he was not required to deploy because of school, he chose to take a leave of absence from his studies to ship out with his unit. Christopher’s younger brother, Carl, a 2010 West Aurora graduate, recently reported for Marine Corps training; his father Robert is retired from the Navy and his mother, Mary, is a Navy Reservist.
“It’s good for young people,” said Murphy, “to understand service and sacrifice to country.”
Other band mates and friends huddled together and recalled how special Christopher Patterson was.
“He made band so much fun,” said Katie Stalker, a 2008 West High alum and flute player. “Everybody loved him.”
And his “talents were unbelievable,” added Zack Wilmot, Chris’s classmate who challenged the cold, wearing only his Army National Guard uniform. As shocking as his friend’s death was, Wilmot insisted it does not deter him from wanting to serve; in fact, as an information technology officer, it makes him want to find why the roadside bomb that killed the four members of Patterson’s 713th Engineer Company went undetected.
West Aurora family
The motorcade procession Friday morning was not only a way for West High to honor Chris Patterson, but also to show support for his mother who is in charge of the copy room at West High and who was an active “band mom” loved by students and staff alike.
As she passed the throng of West teens and adults — who had filed out of the school quickly and orderly as the drill bell sounded — the grieving mother was obviously touched. She rolled down the window, and with tears in her eyes, mouthed “thank you, thank you,” over and over as the car in which she rode made its way past the thousands.
The procession then went back to Immanuel Lutheran Church in Batavia, where visitation is being held from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday. Patterson’s funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Immanuel Lutheran, 950 Hart Road in Batavia. Both the music departments from West High and Valparaiso University will perform.
West High Co-principals Ross Truemper and Rudy Keller both were both impressed with the way students conducted themselves.
“Your reverence and respect for Christopher Patterson was tremendous,” Keller told them over the intercom after they were back in classrooms. Then he asked for another moment of silence as the snow continued to fall, along with the enormous American flag being lowered by the North Aurora Fire Department.
“I was proud of our students,” said Truemper. “Their response was phenomenal.”
That sentiment was echoed by Mike Fuller, former Aurora police commander who now works security for the school.
“What you did for the Patterson family,” he said, popping his head into the principal’s office for only a moment, “was priceless.”
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