Staff Sgt. Vernon W. Martin, R.I.P.

Name: Army Staff Sgt. Vernon W. Martin

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Age: 25

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From: Savannah, Ga.

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Assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

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Incident: Army Staff Sgt. Vernon W. Martin died Oct. 3 in Kamdesh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his contingency outpost with small arms, rocket-propelled grenade and indirect fires. Also killed were Sgt. Justin T. Gallegos, Spc. Christopher T. Griffin, Sgt. Joshua M. Hardt, Sgt. Joshua J. Kirk, Spc. Stephan L. Mace, Sgt. Michael P. Scusa and Pfc. Kevin C. Thomson.

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Died: October 03, 2009

(From savannahnow.com)Staff Sgt. Vernon Martin's family declined to comment on his homecoming Friday afternoon. As the soldier's casket was carried from a plane at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, their sobs and cries said enough.

At 3:38 p.m., a Dassault Falcon 20 jet completed the final leg of Martin's 6,000-mile journey home. On Oct. 3, he was killed in Afghanistan during a fierce fire fight with Taliban insurgents that also took the lives of seven other U.S. soldiers.

The 25-year-old Martin left behind three children, Nasim, 6, Zakiyah, 4, and Chastity, 2, and his wife, Brittany Akeya Murray Martin.

During his career with the Army, Martin received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and several other awards and decorations. He was a veteran of the Iraq war and had been deployed to Afghanistan in May from Fort Carson, Colo., said Capt. Amy Sandbothe, of the Georgia Air National Guard 165th Airlift Wing, which hosted the homecoming.

A homecoming

Under gray skies, a crowd of service men and women, veterans and media waited near a hangar as Martin's family quietly huddled under umbrellas near a parked hearse.

Then, at a moment's notice, the crowd drew still as Sandbothe softly announced the plane's arrival.

After waiting minutes for the side of the plane to open, three men climbed out and began the careful process of removing Martin's remains. A lift eased down the flag-draped casket, which brought a rupture of emotion from Martin's family the moment it touched home soil.

Many in attendance saluted and stood at attention as soldiers carried the casket to the hearse.

Martin's family piled into a limousine and four personal vehicles, and embarked on a 16-mile drive to Gamble Funeral Service at 1410 Stephenson Ave.

A final salute

Flanked by law enforcement vehicles from municipal, county, state and federal agencies, the motorcade passed pockets of crowds that lined its path - Dean Forest Road, Ogeechee Road, Interstate 516, DeRenne Avenue and Abercorn Street.

The thickest crowds gathered along Stephenson and followed the procession on foot to the funeral home.

Traffic sped past one group of Savannah residents just in front of Ryan's Steakhouse, many of them clutching American flags.

"Hey, whatcha doing?" one driver demanded as he waited on the far side of the road for a traffic light to change.

"We're welcoming a hero home who died," hollered Allan Harvey, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam.

Moments later, cars carrying commuters on routine trips home ground to a halt with the approach of three Chatham County Sheriff's Department vehicles rounding the corner from Abercorn Street.

Goose-bump inducing sirens screeched and wailed as they passed.

And behind them - silence, the black hearse carrying Martin's remains slowly rolling forward.

Harvey and other members of the Savannah Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America Post No. 671 stood at attention, holding their poses as Martin's family followed in their vehicles.

A female family member pressed her face against one window.

She stared past the children waving flags in the rain, past the long faces of area residents whose loved ones are still in Afghanistan or Iraq, or headed that way.

'A mind to do positive things'

Evangelist Mary Etta Thomas got to the funeral home after the procession arrived. She, Martin and her son were all close.

"This makes me feel like I've lost one of my best friends," Thomas said.

She said Martin joined the Army so he could support his growing family.

"He had a mind to do positive things, and he loved the Army. He loved being married, and he loved being a family man