11/04/09 - Madison County
Mitchell
Funeral Procession Draws Hundreds
By: Mallory Cooke
mcooke@wbbjtv.com
7:00 p.m.
By: Mallory Cooke
mcooke@wbbjtv.com
7:00 p.m.
People lined North
Highland Avenue Wednesday afternoon waving American
flags to pay their respects to Troy Mitchell.
By the hundreds, they
staked out spots along the street to remember, pay
respect, and lay to rest Mitchell.
David Cary drove nearly
two hours to say goodbye. "It is a sad day that we have
to lose one of our soldiers at home," he said. Cary,
like many others who lined the street, never even met
Mitchell. "It just breaks my heart. I just thought if
this is the tiniest little thing I can do, the least I
can do is show that I supported him" said Elizabeth
Miller, a native Jacksonian.
The procession stopped
traffic. "They all just stopped and got out of their
cars and stood by their cars and saluted," said Miller.
Local businessmen parked
their work vehicles. "Heating and air can wait. This is
to support the family," said Kirk Smith, a local
business owner.
Mitchell's wife whispered
tearful messages of thanks as she passed. "My heart was
just breaking for her," said Miller.
For this moment the city
stood still, as West Tennessee united behind the
grieving Mitchell Family. "We just want them to know
that we are thinking of them, and that we love them and
that God will bring them the strength they need to get
through," said Phyllis Hall, a Mitchell supporter.
As the last car passed,
Cary, a fellow veteran, vowed to stand by a man he
considers a brother. "You stick together with family all
the way through until the end," he said.
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