Published: June 05, 2009 12:00 am      

In memory

Bridge dedicated to Gullett, who was killed in Afghanistan last year

GREENUP — The life of a soldier was honored with tears and laughter Thursday evening at the Little Sandy Volunteer Fire Department during a dedication ceremony for the Specialist Jeremy R. Gullett Memorial Bridge.



“He was just another Greenup County boy is all he was, but now he’s my hero,” said Fire Chief Ronald Gullett, following a tearful invocation by Everett Gullett confirming the family’s “mixed emotions” as they gathered to honor the fallen soldier and firefighter who would have celebrated his 24th birthday Thursday.

A large crowd of veterans, family members, firefighters, elected officials and community members gathered early for the ceremony. Local Medal of Honor recipient Ernie West grinned as he greeted Spec. William West of Oregon, and other members of the 101st Airborne stood together in uniform and celebrated Gullett’s memory.

William West told Ernie West he came to Greenup “to honor my buddy.”

“We all got to know him in a relatively short time,” said Spec. Kyle Warren of Dallas. “He embodied what we want to be. He was a responsible, family guy who never had anything bad to say about anybody. He was very responsible and efficient.”

The 101st soldiers came from California, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia to attend the dedication.

After greeting the soldiers, the Medal of Honor recipient said the bridge dedication is an appropriate tribute to Gullett’s service.

“I think it is a great honor and I think we ought to do more for the men and women in uniform. I think we should pay them all homage,” Ernie West said. “I think it’s a great thing to name this bridge for him.”

State Rep. Tanya Pullin, who introduced the legislation to name the bridge in Gullett’s honor, passed along the Gullett family’s appreciation to the community, firefighters, law enforcement officers and Patriot Guard members as well as the crews of state and county workers who worked to clean up the bridge and surrounding areas for the ceremony even though rain forced the event indoors.

Col. Mark Needham read a letter from Gov. Steve Beshear and thanked the community for showing its support.

“We can never, ever fully repay the debt we owe to this family and we know that,” Needham said before sharing a message from Gullett’s former commander in Korea, Capt. Phillip Ealy, who remembered Gullett as “the epitome of what a soldier should be,” and, “more importantly, he was a good man — solid to the core.”

Many in the crowd were moved to tears as David Bradbury, David Gray and Sue Gray performed the song “If I Die Before You Wake.”  Sue Gray, who drove Gullett’s school bus when he was a little boy, remembered looking up into the mirror and seeing his “big brown eyes,” looking back at her.

“He was a really sweet kid,” she added.

Gullett’s mother and father, Cheryl and Harold, unveiled one bridge sign while his brother and sister, Chester and Jenny, revealed another on the other side of the small stage. Many on stage and in the crowd openly wept as Gullett’s mother read a short poem selected by his wife, Janet.

Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Royster of Greenup County said he and others in the 201st Engineer Battalion went into Afghanistan the same week Gullett was killed. News of the death of a soldier from Greenup County wasn’t taken lightly by the local soldiers.

“It made it real for us really fast,” Royster said.

Enjoying the hospitality of the Little Sandy VFD’s Auxiliary, Gullett’s grandmother, Dianna Dillow and great aunt Carol Fryman of Greensburg, Ky., remembered the soldier as a little boy with health concerns including heart and kidney problems.

“He was sickly when he was young,” Fryman said, and both agreed they were surprised when Gullett overcame his health concerns and was able to serve his country.

Dillow smiled as she remembered an essay Gullett wrote about her late husband, Max, describing him as the greatest hero of the Vietnam War. “He was all boy,” his grandmother said as Fryman nodded in agreement.  “He never got in trouble. He was serious, but he was ornery and liked to joke around.”

Gullett’s sister, Jenny, said, “We love him. He was our hero and we miss him.”