Groups of supporters lined the streets of Columbia from the regional airport to the city’s downtown today, in honor of fallen Army soldier Sterling Wyatt, a Columbia native who was killed July 11th while on patrol in Afghanistan.
Columbia citizens lined Stadium Boulevard and Broadway this morning with hanging heads and waving flags to greet the funeral procession carrying Wyatt's body from Columbia Regional Airport to the funeral home.
Members of Wyatt’s church, First Baptist on Broadway, waited outside on lawn chairs and the church steps, and then moved along the curb as the procession approached.
Ken Hammann says he’s known the family since Sterling Wyatt was born. "We’ve been in a state of shock," he said, "and sadness. But the church has rallied around the family, and I think, like the community, we’re lending all the support we possibly can.
The group waved flags solemnly, some of them quietly crying, as the procession passed by. Once the procession had finished, First Baptist Church members embraced each other, some continuing into the church while others headed home.
The visitation for Wyatt will be from 5-8pm at First Baptist Church on Friday. The memorial service is at 1 pm on Saturday, also at First Baptist Church.
