Army Pfc. Stephen D. Bicknell, 19, of Prattville, Ala.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Oct. 15 of injuries sustained when two land mines detonated near his Humvee in Samarra, Iraq. Also killed was Sgt. Lester D. Baroncini Jr.
“City Struggles As Another Son Falls”
PRATTVILLE -- Prayer is what Sandra Parker has turned to. So has Bud Anderson. And he finds himself thinking a lot about war -- and sacrifice. Duane Jackson is simply committed to winning in Iraq so that more lives aren't lost in vain.
This town and its 32,000 residents are in mourning again for the second time in just four months. First, before the start of summer, Army Sgt. Carlos Pernell died in a mortar attack on his base in Baghdad. Then, a week ago today in Samarra, Pfc. Stephen D. Bicknell lost his life when his Humvee struck a land mine.
Bicknell, 19, was a 2005 graduate of Prattville High School and a standout on the gridiron. He was a quarterback for the Lions and played in the 2004 state championship game against Hoover. Pernell, too, was a football standout, graduating in 2000. He was 25.
"It's too soon to go through something like this again," Parker said. "I stood on Main Street with my two children when Sergeant Pernell's procession went by. It just tears my heart out, these two young men gone. I can't imagine what their families are going through. All you can do is pray for them. I hope they know we share their grief as well."
Prattville is a good-sized community, but it still has the feel of a small town. City officials are working with Bicknell's family and the military on plans to commemorate the young paratrooper. Mayor Jim Byard ordered flags throughout the city to fly at half-staff until after the funeral, which has not been scheduled.
"I have spoken with Pfc. Bicknell's family daily since we heard the news," the mayor said. "We wrapped our arms around Sergeant Pernell's family when we welcomed him home. ... These two young men are American heroes, and they deserve our gratitude and respect."
Flags were lowered for Pernell. Many homes and businesses displayed flags or black mourning wreaths. Hundreds attended his funeral at the high school, and thousands more lined the procession route all the way to the Elmore County cemetery where he was laid to rest.
Anderson expects the same during Bicknell's services.
"We're a patriotic town," said Anderson, who served in the Army during the Vietnam War. "We can get through this together. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of prayers offered in the churches around here on Sunday. I'm sure there will be a lot of people pausing when they think of these young men. They died for us. They are our best."
Going through the grieving process as a community will help in the healing process, said John Schmidt, a teaching pastor at Montgomery's Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church.
"When someone loses their life in battle, in the line of duty, it is the greatest act of love and service you can give," he said. "It is important to mark that with a ceremony. Ceremonies remind us of the most important things in life. They show us that there are things worth living for and there are things worth dying for."
Melanie Dixon is saddened by the soldiers' death but wonders how many more must die.
"I'm so sorry that these soldiers died, and I honor their service," she said. "But I just have to wonder when we are going to bring our military back from Iraq. It's not worth all this pain."
The job has to be finished in Iraq and the war on terrorism, said Duane Jackson, a high school classmate of Pernell's.
"Carlos wanted to be a soldier. He was going to make it a career," he said. "He was killed during his second tour in Iraq. What I've heard about Private Bicknell is that he was a solid young man who wanted to serve his country. We have to win, for Carlos, Private Bicknell and all the others who have died. We have to win."
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