A solemn welcome for a fallen soldier

From a sidewalk spot usually reserved for Carson Valley Days parades, a cluster of Gardnerville residents clutched American flags and waited Monday night for the motorcade bringing Army Pfc. Phillip Brandon Williams home.

The 21-year-old Gardnerville resident was killed by sniper fire in Iraq on Oct. 9 and his funeral is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Douglas High School, his alma mater.

"I saw on the news that he was being escorted back and I felt I needed to come," said Shelley Ivie, a Gardnerville Ranchos resident and mother of 19-year-old Sean Ivie, an Army infantryman.

Her son is stationed in Hawaii and is preparing for deployment.

"It's scary," she said. "This is a procession we don't ever want to be part of."

The winds picked up slightly and a blanket of clouds competed with the stars under the Nevada sky as the temperature dipped to 50 degrees.

The small group, all neighbors from Wildrose, Spruce and Willow streets, quieted as the motorcade finally approached with emergency lights flashing.

They'd been waiting in front of the Verizon telephone company building for almost an hour.

Led by a motorcycle detachment of officers from Nevada and California law enforcement agencies, the procession included about 20 vehicles.

A few of the officers called "thank you for coming" and sounded their sirens.

Williams' body was carried in a white hearse that was followed by two limousines carrying family members.

His body was escorted back to Nevada from Dover, Del., by his brother Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Williams, 20.

Their father Brad and uncle Brian are sergeants with the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

Brandon Williams was serving with the military police and hoped to join his family in a career in law enforcement.

Douglas sheriff's Lt. Michael Biaggini and sergeants Mick Doan and Dan Coverley traveled to Reno to participate in the motorcade.

"It was rewarding," Biaggini said. "It certainly was a solemn occasion. I think for myself as a civilian police officer, it was just different in the fact that even though he was a military policeman, he is obviously still military. To be there to greet the plane and pick him up for his ride home, it's a whole different feeling."

Biaggini said a few people gathered along the 50-mile route from Reno-Tahoe International Airport to the funeral home in Gardnerville.

Ivie's daughter Amanda Keith, 23, with her daughter Abbygaile, 2, bundled up in a blanket, arrived moments before the motorcade passed.

"I'm so thankful for our soldiers," she said. "It's because of them that we could stand out there waving our American flags."

Once the procession passed, Ivie continued waving her flag at the motorists following the procession.

"It could be some more of his family and friends," she said. "I just sort of said, 'Rest in peace,' under my breath."

DETAILS

A funeral service is 11 a.m. Saturday in the Douglas High School gymnasium for Army Pfc. Phillip Brandon Williams, who was killed Oct. 9 by a sniper in Baghdad.

Williams will be buried with military honors at Eastside Memorial Park in Minden after the service. His body will be escorted by a military honor guard and representatives of several California and Nevada law enforcement agencies.

The public is invited to both services and to view the motorcade as it proceeds down Highway 395 to the funeral and the burial.

Williams, 21, is survived by his parents, Gardnerville resident Lisa Hall and South Lake Tahoe police officer Brad Williams; two brothers, Justin and Aaron; and a sister, Amy.

A memorial fund has been established in Williams' name through U.S. Bank. The account number is 153752191384. The fund was set up through the South Lake Tahoe Police Department where his father and uncle are sergeants.