Published: November 10, 2009 12:25 am         

A fallen hero returns to Valley: Outpouring of honor upon Sgt. Dale Griffin’s return

TERRE HAUTE — Terre Haute welcomed home a fallen hero Monday.

Hundreds of Wabash Valley residents lined the streets under a gray autumn sky as the solemn procession for U.S. Army Sgt. Dale Griffin moved through the city to Greiner Funeral Home on North 13th Street.

The body of Griffin, 29, had arrived at Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field earlier Monday morning. Around 10:15 a.m., a long black hearse containing Griffin’s flag-draped casket left the tarmac of the airport. A long line of private vehicles, police cars and about 50 motorcycles with the Indiana Patriot Guard Riders led the hearse headed toward the city.

All along the route to the funeral home, dozens of clusters of people — many holding American flags — stood along the roadside saluting and paying their respects.

“We were completely overwhelmed” by the outpouring of respect and support from the Terre Haute community, said Gene Griffin, Dale’s father.

One of the most moving moments was seeing all of the students of Chauncey Rose Middle School standing along 13th Street as the motorcade passed by. “What a moment to teach people what freedom is all about,” he said.

Sgt. Dale Griffin, a 1999 South Vigo High School graduate, along with six other U.S. soldiers and an Afghan civilian, was killed while serving with Operation Enduring Freedom by a roadside bomb attack in southern Afghanistan on Oct. 27. His body arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware early on the morning of Oct. 29.

While the focus in Terre Haute has been largely on Dale Griffin, a native son, the Griffin family wants everyone to remember the others who have been lost serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Dale was not the only one lost that day,” said Dona Griffin, Dale’s mother. “There are great sacrifices being made for our freedom.”

Dozens of people stood across 13th Street from the Greiner Funeral Home around 10:45 a.m. when the hearse bearing Griffin’s casket arrived. Children from the Maplewood Christian Church school stood on the sidewalk looking on and holding flags.

“I was a soldier once,” said Jack Forsythe, a Korean War veteran standing outside the funeral home when the motorcade arrived. He wanted to show his support for the Griffin family, he said. “Any support from the hometown means a lot,” he said.

The turnout of support for Sgt. Griffin and his family was humbling, said Keith Jacks, assistant senior ride captain for the Patriot Guard Riders, which supports fallen servicemen and women across the country. A veteran of several Patriot Guard rides, Jacks said not all fallen servicemen and women have been given as much respect and support as he witnessed Monday morning. The turnout in Terre Haute was special, he said.

“It was a humbling experience,” Jacks said. “Just thinking about it now, I’ve got cold chills.”

The experience surrounding Sgt. Griffin’s death also has had a powerful effect on his family. Dona Griffin stated Monday she will never be able to pass a serviceman or woman in uniform in the future without stopping to express thanks. Gene Griffin said the whole experience has taught him what real patriotism is all about. “I’ll never be able to look at the flag the same way again after seeing it draped over my son’s casket,” he said.

Visitation for Sgt. Dale Griffin is 4 to 8 p.m. today at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1845 N. 61⁄2 St. Funeral Services are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Terre Haute South Vigo High School.



Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.