The Rev. Carol McEntyre began her role as senior pastor at First Baptist Church in downtown Columbia in July. During her first week, news broke that Army Spc. Sterling Wyatt, a member of the church, was killed in Afghanistan.
A crowd gathers before the funeral of Army Spc. Sterling Wyatt on July 21 at First Baptist Church on Broadway. Wyatt died earlier this month in Afghanistan, and thousands of community members gathered in red shirts to support the family.
Credit Kellie Kotraba/ColumbiaFAVS
People in red shirts line Broadway in preparation for the funeral procession of Army Spc. Sterling Wyatt from First Baptist Church to the cemetery. After the service at the church, community members spread themselves out along the route.
Columbia came together on Saturday to remember a fallen soldier. A radical protest group had said it would be in town for the funeral, but it was overshadowed. The event was much more than a response to a protest.
American flags line the sidewalk around First Baptist Church in downtown Columbia in preparation for the funeral Saturday of Spc. Sterling Wyatt, who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month.
The Patriot Guard placed flags around First Baptist Church on Broadway in downtown Columbia in preparation for the funeral of Spc. Sterling Wyatt.
Wyatt died July 11 while on duty in Afghanistan. Groups of supporters lined the streets of Columbia Thursday during a procession from Columbia Regional Airport to Wyatt's home.
