Mourners and sympathizers from across the state gathered Tuesday to honor a National Guardsman killed in Iraq.
They hoisted flags along U.S. 70 as a funeral procession escorted the body of Sgt. Thomas Ray to be buried at the Western North Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain.
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders biker group followed Ray’s family on motorcycles, bringing them condolences. A group of military mothers shared hugs and tears with Ray’s mother, wife and teenage daughter.
Ray, 40, was killed March 22 along with two other soldiers when a roadside bomb blew up their vehicle near Baghdad. He had volunteered for extra service in Iraq.
“Thomas died doing what he loved. He loved his country,” said Staff Sgt. Benjamin Jarmillo, who served with Ray in the 105th Military Police Battalion in Asheville.
Family, friends and fellow soldiers attended a private service for Ray at a Weaverville funeral home before his military burial at the veterans cemetery.
At the cemetery, gunshots from the N.C. National Guard Honor Guard pierced the blue sky, drowning out the distant sound of church bells as family members received folded American flags in Ray’s honor.
His wife, Linda, wept and clung to her flag as National Guard Maj. General William E. Ingram Jr. knelt and whispered something quietly to her.
Jarmillo, who has known Thomas and Linda Ray for 20 years, said the family’s grief is heartbreaking. Still, he said, Ray fulfilled his dream of making a difference for people in this country and in Iraq.
Ray was assigned to the 105th Military Police Battalion in Asheville but volunteered to go with the 1132nd Military Police Company when it mobilized in June to go to Iraq.
He was a medical specialist who served three years active duty. He joined the National Guard in 2006 and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal in January for his service as a gunner.
Ray joined the Navy in 1985 after begging his mother to sign an early enlistment waiver, his mother said.
A captain for the security company Wackenhut Corp., Ray worked at Ingles stores and other clients.
Among the most visible groups that came out to support Ray’s family were 28 bikers from the Patriot Guard Riders, a nationwide group of veterans and military supporters. They showed their respect to Ray’s family by holding up flags in front of the funeral home and giving them a book of written condolences.
“We just want them to know that there’s a large part of the population that knows what sacrifice he made and knows what sacrifice his family has made,” said Dennis Potts, a member of the WNC branch of the riders.
A group of military mothers called the WNC Blue Star Mothers also attended the burial, giving Ray’s family a banner with a gold star representing their fallen son.
Woodfin resident Carl Harvey brought a personal gift sent by his son who is serving in Iraq with a government agency. Harvey gave Ray’s mother an Iraqi shemagh, a traditional headscarf worn in the country.
The raiment, Harvey said, represents all the good people Ray worked to help in Iraq who are not involved in continuing the violence there.
“As I see it, this young man has given his life for those people,” said Harvey.
Ray is survived by his mother, Ozelle M. Ray; his wife, Linda; and their teenage daughter, Sydney.