Friday, July 31, 2009 11:02 PM CDT
Sullivan native killed serving
in Afghanistan
By HUEY FREEMAN, Staff Writer
The small town of Sullivan is in shock after hearing that Spc. Gerrick Smith — a multitalented, fun-loving young man who just graduated from high school 14 months ago — was killed in Afghanistan.
The Illinois Army National Guard said Smith, 19, died from a noncombat injury on Wednesday. No other information was released on the incident, which is under investigation. Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
Smith, who enlisted in the Guard in February 2007, was first deployed in September, arriving in Afghanistan in December. He was an infantryman with the Marion-based Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry.
“He was a great guy,” said Tyler Craven, 20, a longtime friend of Smith’s, who is also a National Guard soldier. “He was always helping out his friends. If you needed someone to have your back, Gerrick was that guy. He would stand up with you to the bitter end.”
Lauren Dust, 19, who first became friends with Gerrick Smith when they were playing together on a soccer team at age 6, said Smith, who had a great sense of humor, was everyone’s buddy.
“He really liked to be around a lot of different people,” Dust said. “He was never in one clique in high school. He was friends with everyone. He was always willing to try something new. He was really outgoing.”
The two friends were in show choirs together in Sullivan for about five years, through junior high and high school.
“He was a great performer,” Dust said. “People in show choir looked up to him for that. He always had a lot of energy. He always looked like he was having a good time and he showed it on his face.”
She recalled that Gerrick liked to get into a bit of trouble in high school.
“He made everyone laugh,” she said. “He made even the hard times a little better. He would always be goofing around in the background. Whenever we had eight-hour rehearsals Gerrick would be doing something in the background.”
At one rehearsal, he got one of his biggest laughs by finding a better costume.
“He put on one of the girls’ dresses,” Dust said. “I’m pretty sure it was the green sequined dress.”
His many talents included athletics and artwork. A dark-haired, 6-foot-2-inch tall, 185-pound man, Smith played on the school’s soccer team as a junior, after playing on the football team as a freshman.
“In study hall, he would be drawing a new tattoo on himself or on me,” Dust said. “He would repaint his room. He was a really good artist. I don’t think many people knew that about him.”
Dust said she was glad she had a chance to see him a few weeks ago, when he was home on leave.
“He looked good,” she said. “It was really good to see him around. Now the last couple of days, it seems like something is missing because he was always the life of the party.”
Sullivan School District Superintendent Terry Pearcy said he plans to have school counselors available next week, if students need help in grieving the loss of Smith.
“He was a nice young man, a friend to a lot of people,” Pearcy said.
Jerry Lane, a retired Sullivan High School teacher, said he recalled having Gerrick in his gym class, when he worked as a substitute.
“He was a very courteous young man, well liked by the students and teachers,” Lane said. “He was always very helpful with everyone around him. It’s a great loss for our community. People around here are going to miss him a great deal.”
Sullivan Police Chief John Love became acquainted with Smith partly because his daughter, a fellow show choir member, was his friend.
“He left here as a kid and came back as a soldier,” said Love, who served a stint in the Army in the 1970s. “He was a great kid. He was so proud of what he accomplished, becoming a soldier. He was very proud of being a soldier and serving his country.”
Smith’s unit was deployed as part of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, providing security for embedded training teams, police mentor teams and forward operating bases. Smith is the 18th fatality from the Illinois Army National Guard’s combat team since its deployment to Afghanistan.
This is the 34th fatality the Illinois National Guard has suffered since operations in Afghanistan and Iraq began.
Contact Huey Freeman at hfreeman@herald-review.com or 421-6985.
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just watching wrote on Jul 31, 2009 10:10 AM: