Hundreds of people did their individual parts to thank and
support a fallen American hero Friday.
Family and friends; local, county and state government
officials; soldiers and other servicemen; and some complete
strangers were all at the St. Bernard School on West Washington
Street Friday afternoon for the funeral of Master Sgt. Thomas D.
Maholic, who was killed in Afghanistan June 24.
Maholic, 38, died serving with the U.S. Army as part of
Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the 2nd Battalion, 7th
Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Bill Lucas of Bradford, a friend and spokesperson for the
Maholic family, told The Era prior to the services Friday that U.S.
Army Capt. Terrell A. Jones, chaplain, would conduct the day’s
services, which included speakers, sermons, musical selections,
remembrances and military detail.
The Rev. James Gutting, who said he officiated over Maholic’s
wedding, told The Era on his way into the service that his goal
that afternoon was to “provide words of comfort and hope” to
Maholic’s family.
Just inside the school lobby, photographs of Maholic were on
display.
Memorial services lasted less than an hour, with U.S. Rep. John
Peterson, R-Pa., and Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, both in
attendance. Causer presented citations to Maholic’s widow, Wendy
Maholic of Fort Bragg, and Maholic’s mother, Dorothy Maholic of
Bradford.
Maholic’s brother, Robert Maholic, and their niece, Jeanna
Miller, both spoke at the services. Robert Maholic talked about how
his life was enriched by his late brother, while Miller spoke about
the relationship between Maholic and his wife, saying before
Maholic was even a soldier, he was his wife’s hero.
A program for the services included a piece Lucas said was
penned by Maholic himself, although it was unclear when the message
was originally written.
“The years have gone by so quickly. It is said that time waits
for no one. Looking back brings memories, some good, some bad. Days
have faded into months, months into years, years into decades.
Events have brought about change and shaped the life we now have.
There have been people who influenced us and helped guide us down
the trail of our life. All this and we can look back and ask ‘Why?
Why does this time go by so fast? Why did the events take place
just the way they did? And the people, where did they fit in and
how did they know to come just when we needed them?’ In death as in
life, nothing extravagant. My love is with you all. Keep living
life!”
Once the services were moved outside the school, a pianist
played patriotic selections until three Apache helicopters came
into sight at about 4 p.m. above the Kessel Athletic Complex field.
They flew overhead in the Missing Man formation, followed by a
21-rifle salute.
One soldier, who moments beforehand stood at attention,
professional and proud in his dress greens and beret, bent as low
as possible and knelt on one knee to present folded American flags
to Wendy Maholic, son, Andrew, and Dorothy Maholic. “Taps” was also
played.
Lucas said prior to the service Maholic would be presented with
a Bronze Star Medal with V for valor posthumously.
Following the service, members of the detail walked across the
lawn toward a line of people – other servicemen, the Patriot Guard
Riders and members of the Bradford community, all holding American
flags of different shapes and sizes – saluting the flags.
The Patriot Guard Riders, a group of volunteers comprised mainly
of veterans, largely from the Vietnam era, according to state ride
captain Bud Roberts, were on hand as invited guests of Maholic’s
family. Coming from as far away as Indiana, West Virginia, Niagara
Falls-Ontario, and other locations in Western New York and
Pennsylvania, the riders formed a wall of bodies and American flags
outside the school prior to the funeral.
The group started eight months ago and now boasts 45,000 members
nationwide, Roberts said. Their two-part mission is to first, honor
the fallen hero and his or her family, friends and community; and
second, to form a wall and protect the grieving family from
protesters, should that need arise.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. were a
short distance away from the funeral protesting. Busses taking
attendees from the parking lot of the University of Pittsburgh at
Bradford to the school circumvented the group, however, which
demonstrated for less than an hour.
Lois Welch of Bradford attended the funeral from afar, saying
she was there simply to show support for the Maholic family and
American troops in general.
“My father was a World War II veteran and I was raised to
respect the military,” Welch said.
Madge Lester of Bradford, whose husband recently retired from
the military and also served during Vietnam, she said, told The Era
she was at the service to support the family and help protect them
against the protesters.
Lori Owens of Bradford said she brought her three-year old
daughter, Meaghan, to “pay respects to the fallen hero.”
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jamie Himes Dana was an unexpected,
but very welcome guest at the Maholic funeral Friday.
“I believe we, as Americans, should do everything we can to
support any soldier, especially those who have made the ultimate
sacrifice,” Dana told The Era after the service. Dana, who was
nearly killed serving in Iraq little more than a year ago, was
accompanied by Rex, her K-9 bomb-sniffing companion who, along with
Dana, made headlines when an act of Congress last year allowed her
to adopt Rex before the end of his life as a military working
dog.
“As soon as I found out what was happening, I planned on
coming,” she said about attending Maholic’s funeral. She went on to
say she felt the soldiers conducting the service detail “showed the
proper respect for (Maholic’s) sacrifice.”
Capt. Jones said Friday night after the services the Bradford
community showed an extraordinary amount of patriotism and
love.
“This is a great community,” he said, lauding the local police
departments and the professionalism he felt they all demonstrated.
They mentioned McKean County Sheriff Brad Mason and District
Attorney Pavlock were also helpful. He also cited the local
National Guard and state police as performing admirably.
“We all acted as one team,” Jones said, “…one team.”
He said Friday’s turnout by the community and Patriot Guard
Riders was “one of the best shows of patriotism” he had ever
seen.
“I was so impressed and glad to be an American because of what I
saw today,” he said.
