Published: August 26, 2007 12:04 am      

Danville says goodbye to fallen soldier

Final journey ends where Justin Penrod’s life began

DANVILLE — Family, friends, fellow veterans and total strangers mourned Army Spec. Justin Penrod on Saturday before his burial at Danville’s National Cemetery.

Penrod, 24, died in action Aug. 11, soon after he began his second tour of duty in Iraq. His wife Christina and their 8-month-old son Colin were the first of many mourners who accompanied his funeral procession from the Urbana Assembly of God Church to the cemetery.

Mourners also lined Bowman Avenue to pay their respects to the hometown hero. One Danville couple held flags as they waited at the corner of Bowman and Main streets for the procession to arrive.

“We’ve been reading all the articles in the paper about him,” Lita Bryleski said. “We came to honor him.”

Her husband Ed, a Navy veteran, said, “He served so we’d be free. It’s the least we can do.”

Their wait was a bit longer than they anticipated. Despite another resident’s announcement at 12:30 p.m. that she’d spotted the lead car, it took about an hour for that to actually happen.

No one minded the wait.

Darrell Heath coached Penrod in Little League. He kept his eyes on the procession’s route as he eulogized the soldier.

“He was the right boy for the job,” Heath said. “He was dedicated to his country and his family. He wasn’t scared of anything.”

Heath’s daughter Tessa also remembered Penrod from baseball.

“He played ball with my brother,” she said. “Justin was so outgoing, so friendly, always smiling.”

At the cemetery, a group of Danville Korean War Veterans waited to honor Penrod.

“We don’t want to infringe,” David Thornsbrough, the group’s president, said. “We’ll stand in formation and salute as he goes by. We just want to show our respect, one soldier to another.

“This is a different age and a different war, but he’s a fellow veteran,” he said.

A brief service preceded the burial. In recognition of his service, Penrod posthumously received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman Badge and M16 Award Expert Rifle Badge.

Penrod holds another distinction along with these.

According to Everette Rice, the National Cemetery’s working supervisor, Penrod is the first Danville soldier killed in action and buried in the Danville location.

“We average about 160 burials a year,” Rice, a Vietnam veteran and 25-year cemetery employee, said. “We have two others from Danville buried here, but he’s the first who was KIA.”

In a statement released prior to Penrod’s funeral, Christina Penrod described her husband as, “a hero. He loved his country, loved his job and hated leaving us behind.”

His final journey ended where his life’s journey began — in his hometown, Danville.