thedrifter
05-17-07, 05:00 AM
HERO’S PROCESSION: Hundreds of mourners honor Walter O’Haire
By ANDREW LIGHTMAN
The Patriot Ledger
ROCKLAND - The children waved flags, his fellow Marines stood at attention and family members drank a final toast for Walter ‘‘Gator’’ O’Haire on what would have been his 21st birthday.
Marine Lance Cpl. O’Haire was killed in action last week while serving in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
As they said their last goodbyes at a cemetery service yesterday, Walter O’Haire’s family and friends held Styrofoam cups high to celebrate his life and birthday. Click here to view slideshow.
A toast with his favorite spirit, Bacardi O, was only fitting for a man who lived to make other people happy, said his older brother, Thomas O’Haire Jr.
‘‘He got the respect he deserved,’’ he said.
O’Haire was among three Massachusetts servicemen killed in Iraq in the past week.
First Lt. Andrew J. Bacevich, 27, of Walpole, was killed Sunday while on a combat patrol. Army Spc. Kyle A. Little, 20, of West Boylston, was killed by a roadside bomb last Tuesday, and O’Haire died last Wednesday.
The total number of U.S. deaths in Iraq has reached 3,398, including 57 from Masachusetts.
In addition, the Pentagon confirmed today that a soldier from Lawrence was among three men missing in Iraq after a weekend ambush that left four soldiers and a translator dead.
The Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaida front group, said it captured the missing soldiers, including Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence.
Hundreds of mourners paid tribute yesterday to O’Haire, who enlisted because of a promise he made to his late father, who hoped the military would make him a better man.
‘‘I’m sure he’s up there, saying ‘Look at this, it’s all for me,’’’ said his mother, Maureen O’Haire.
A motorcade started in South Boston, where O’Haire spent the first 10 years of his life. Students from the Galvin School waved flags outside as dozens more came out to salute the procession.
Traffic was halted on the Southeast Expressway and Route 3 to make way for the giant motorcade as it approached Holy Family Church in Rockland.
On Union Street in Rockland, hundreds of students, shop owners and patriotic onlookers came out to view the procession. O’Haire and members of his family had stood on the same road for Memorial Day town parades in the past.
‘‘Those little kids, with their hands over their hearts, that was amazing,’’ said Jack Mansfield, O’Haire’s godfather.
It was the second funeral at Holy Family for a soldier killed in Iraq. The first was held on April 16, 2003, for 1st Lt. Brian McPhillips, a Marine from Pembroke who was killed in combat during the first month of the war.
‘‘These are days of terribly mixed feelings, aren’t they?’’ said Bishop John Anthony Dooher, the priest who baptized O’Haire in South Boston 20 years ago.
‘‘We are faced with the insanity and horror of war,’’ he said, ‘‘and yet Walter saw himself as loving his country.’’
‘‘A nation really mourns with you today,’’ Bishop Dooher said.
Friends and family said they could not help but smile when remembering O’Haire.
‘‘I never saw him without a smile on his face,’’ said Don Johnston, a family friend. ‘‘He’s the kind of people you want to be around.’’
And O’Haire always wanted to be around his family and friends, often driving through the night from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina to spend a day with them in Rockland, South Boston or Lynn.
‘‘He definitely was an entertainer,’’ said Thomas O’Haire Jr. ‘‘Dead of winter, middle of January, we were in Southie. We got him to strip down to his boxers and jump into the ocean.
‘‘He did it for laughs,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s what made him smile, seeing other people happy.’’
Friends and family members said O’Haire will always be loved and respected.
‘‘I had hoped I would be Gator’s hero,’’ said Mansfield, his godfather. ‘‘As it turns out, he was mine.’’
Andrew Lightman may be reached at alightman@ledger.com .
Ellie
By ANDREW LIGHTMAN
The Patriot Ledger
ROCKLAND - The children waved flags, his fellow Marines stood at attention and family members drank a final toast for Walter ‘‘Gator’’ O’Haire on what would have been his 21st birthday.
Marine Lance Cpl. O’Haire was killed in action last week while serving in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
As they said their last goodbyes at a cemetery service yesterday, Walter O’Haire’s family and friends held Styrofoam cups high to celebrate his life and birthday. Click here to view slideshow.
A toast with his favorite spirit, Bacardi O, was only fitting for a man who lived to make other people happy, said his older brother, Thomas O’Haire Jr.
‘‘He got the respect he deserved,’’ he said.
O’Haire was among three Massachusetts servicemen killed in Iraq in the past week.
First Lt. Andrew J. Bacevich, 27, of Walpole, was killed Sunday while on a combat patrol. Army Spc. Kyle A. Little, 20, of West Boylston, was killed by a roadside bomb last Tuesday, and O’Haire died last Wednesday.
The total number of U.S. deaths in Iraq has reached 3,398, including 57 from Masachusetts.
In addition, the Pentagon confirmed today that a soldier from Lawrence was among three men missing in Iraq after a weekend ambush that left four soldiers and a translator dead.
The Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaida front group, said it captured the missing soldiers, including Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence.
Hundreds of mourners paid tribute yesterday to O’Haire, who enlisted because of a promise he made to his late father, who hoped the military would make him a better man.
‘‘I’m sure he’s up there, saying ‘Look at this, it’s all for me,’’’ said his mother, Maureen O’Haire.
A motorcade started in South Boston, where O’Haire spent the first 10 years of his life. Students from the Galvin School waved flags outside as dozens more came out to salute the procession.
Traffic was halted on the Southeast Expressway and Route 3 to make way for the giant motorcade as it approached Holy Family Church in Rockland.
On Union Street in Rockland, hundreds of students, shop owners and patriotic onlookers came out to view the procession. O’Haire and members of his family had stood on the same road for Memorial Day town parades in the past.
‘‘Those little kids, with their hands over their hearts, that was amazing,’’ said Jack Mansfield, O’Haire’s godfather.
It was the second funeral at Holy Family for a soldier killed in Iraq. The first was held on April 16, 2003, for 1st Lt. Brian McPhillips, a Marine from Pembroke who was killed in combat during the first month of the war.
‘‘These are days of terribly mixed feelings, aren’t they?’’ said Bishop John Anthony Dooher, the priest who baptized O’Haire in South Boston 20 years ago.
‘‘We are faced with the insanity and horror of war,’’ he said, ‘‘and yet Walter saw himself as loving his country.’’
‘‘A nation really mourns with you today,’’ Bishop Dooher said.
Friends and family said they could not help but smile when remembering O’Haire.
‘‘I never saw him without a smile on his face,’’ said Don Johnston, a family friend. ‘‘He’s the kind of people you want to be around.’’
And O’Haire always wanted to be around his family and friends, often driving through the night from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina to spend a day with them in Rockland, South Boston or Lynn.
‘‘He definitely was an entertainer,’’ said Thomas O’Haire Jr. ‘‘Dead of winter, middle of January, we were in Southie. We got him to strip down to his boxers and jump into the ocean.
‘‘He did it for laughs,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s what made him smile, seeing other people happy.’’
Friends and family members said O’Haire will always be loved and respected.
‘‘I had hoped I would be Gator’s hero,’’ said Mansfield, his godfather. ‘‘As it turns out, he was mine.’’
Andrew Lightman may be reached at alightman@ledger.com .
Ellie