thedrifter
08-13-07, 07:16 PM
Saying good-bye to a hero
Bonnell laid to restBy BILL SHEA, Messenger staff writer
Seated in the bleachers of the high school gym, the mourners — some 500 in all — waited, dabbed their teary eyes and mopped their sweaty brows.
It was time, time for them to say goodbye to the boy they knew as J.J. who liked to draw, loved baseball and who grew up to be a Marine.
And then Sgt. Jon E. ‘‘J.J.’’ Bonnell Jr., 22, was among them again.
An honor guard of Marines and one Navy sailor brought Bonnell’s flag-draped casket into into the gymnasium of Fort Dodge Senior High School Monday morning to begin his funeral.
Bonnell, a Fort Dodge native who filled out his Marine Corps enlistment papers before he graduated from that high school in 2003, died Aug. 6 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
He was a member of B Battery, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
He loved every minute of being a Marine, as a letter shared by one of his sisters revealed.
Tasha Rork, of Fort Dodge, read parts of Bonnell’s last letter home during the funeral. Choking back her tears, she recited these words from the July 6 letter: ‘‘I know you don’t like me being here, but I love this job.’’
‘‘J.J., we are so proud of you,’’ she said. ‘‘We love you. You will be forever missed.’’
The Rev. Bill Kerns, of First Christian Church in Fort Dodge, recalled the spirit of Bonnell. According to Kerns, the Marine wasn’t a particularly religious man, but ‘‘he understood what God expected of us.’’
‘‘J.J. lived life to the hilt and shared God’s love with those who needed it,’’ he said.
Bonnell had a playful side, Kerns said, which revealed itself in goofy pranks with temporary tattoos of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Bonnell was known for his love of baseball, a game he played starting as a small boy in a T-ball league and continuing through high school. Matt Elsbecker, his high school coach, has said that the pitcher and first baseman was ‘‘one of the foundations that built Dodger baseball up to what it is today.’’
As a fan of the game, Bonnell of course had to have a few baseball cards. According to Kerns, he actually had five boxes of cards that weighed over 100 pounds each.
While playfulness and sportsmanship are fine traits, Kerns said Bonnell’s best characteristic was his ‘‘unselfishness.’’
It was that sense of putting others before himself that motivated him in his high-risk job of searching for improvised explosive devices in Iraq, according to Kerns.
‘‘J.J. knew the threat he faced, but without complaint he searched for the bombs on behalf of the Iraqi people and for his fellow soldiers,’’ he said.
Following the service at the high school, Bonnell was laid to rest in Memorial Park Cemetery on Fifth Avenue South.
The Marines and the sailor carried the flag-draped casket across the cemetery grass past rows of American flags, many held by members of the Patriot Guard Riders, motorcycle enthusiasts who turn out to honor fallen troops.
At the grave site, folded flags were presented to the Marine’s parents, Jon Bonnell Sr. and Denise Rork, both of Fort Dodge.
The Marine was awarded the Purple Heart, the medal given to all American servicemembers killed or wounded in action.
The sharp volleys of a rifle salute and the mournful wail of “Taps” ended the ceremony.
Just before everyone left the cemetery, family members released yellow balloons that soared into the air as free, perhaps, as Bonnell’s spirit.
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net
Ellie
Bonnell laid to restBy BILL SHEA, Messenger staff writer
Seated in the bleachers of the high school gym, the mourners — some 500 in all — waited, dabbed their teary eyes and mopped their sweaty brows.
It was time, time for them to say goodbye to the boy they knew as J.J. who liked to draw, loved baseball and who grew up to be a Marine.
And then Sgt. Jon E. ‘‘J.J.’’ Bonnell Jr., 22, was among them again.
An honor guard of Marines and one Navy sailor brought Bonnell’s flag-draped casket into into the gymnasium of Fort Dodge Senior High School Monday morning to begin his funeral.
Bonnell, a Fort Dodge native who filled out his Marine Corps enlistment papers before he graduated from that high school in 2003, died Aug. 6 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
He was a member of B Battery, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
He loved every minute of being a Marine, as a letter shared by one of his sisters revealed.
Tasha Rork, of Fort Dodge, read parts of Bonnell’s last letter home during the funeral. Choking back her tears, she recited these words from the July 6 letter: ‘‘I know you don’t like me being here, but I love this job.’’
‘‘J.J., we are so proud of you,’’ she said. ‘‘We love you. You will be forever missed.’’
The Rev. Bill Kerns, of First Christian Church in Fort Dodge, recalled the spirit of Bonnell. According to Kerns, the Marine wasn’t a particularly religious man, but ‘‘he understood what God expected of us.’’
‘‘J.J. lived life to the hilt and shared God’s love with those who needed it,’’ he said.
Bonnell had a playful side, Kerns said, which revealed itself in goofy pranks with temporary tattoos of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Bonnell was known for his love of baseball, a game he played starting as a small boy in a T-ball league and continuing through high school. Matt Elsbecker, his high school coach, has said that the pitcher and first baseman was ‘‘one of the foundations that built Dodger baseball up to what it is today.’’
As a fan of the game, Bonnell of course had to have a few baseball cards. According to Kerns, he actually had five boxes of cards that weighed over 100 pounds each.
While playfulness and sportsmanship are fine traits, Kerns said Bonnell’s best characteristic was his ‘‘unselfishness.’’
It was that sense of putting others before himself that motivated him in his high-risk job of searching for improvised explosive devices in Iraq, according to Kerns.
‘‘J.J. knew the threat he faced, but without complaint he searched for the bombs on behalf of the Iraqi people and for his fellow soldiers,’’ he said.
Following the service at the high school, Bonnell was laid to rest in Memorial Park Cemetery on Fifth Avenue South.
The Marines and the sailor carried the flag-draped casket across the cemetery grass past rows of American flags, many held by members of the Patriot Guard Riders, motorcycle enthusiasts who turn out to honor fallen troops.
At the grave site, folded flags were presented to the Marine’s parents, Jon Bonnell Sr. and Denise Rork, both of Fort Dodge.
The Marine was awarded the Purple Heart, the medal given to all American servicemembers killed or wounded in action.
The sharp volleys of a rifle salute and the mournful wail of “Taps” ended the ceremony.
Just before everyone left the cemetery, family members released yellow balloons that soared into the air as free, perhaps, as Bonnell’s spirit.
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net
Ellie