The San Francisco Chronicle reports:
Citizens waved American flags and stood in groups, paying their respects to [Army Staff Sergeant Jesse] Williams, 25, who was killed by a sniper in Iraq on April 8. It was the largest tribute to a fallen soldier from Northern California since more than 1,000 Ukiah residents waited until 2 a.m. last June to honor Army Sgt. Jason Buzzard, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
“It’s overwhelming,” said William’s stepmother, Sandra Handley, who wept as an Army honor guard carried his flag-draped coffin from the hearse into Daniels Chapel of the Roses in Santa Rosa. “Our young people who are serving in our armed forces deserve our respect and love because they pay the ultimate price for our country, as Jesse did.”
Photo caption: Mary St. Clair of Healdsburg wipes away tears as she watches the body of Army Staff Sgt. Jesse Williams return to Santa Rosa. Her own son recently returned from Iraq safely. Click here for the full article.