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BAY CITY – David McCormick dreamed of the day when terrorism would no longer be a threat.

On Friday, family, friends and strangers gathered to say goodbye to the war hero who was killed near Baghdad, Iraq, on April 28 during a rocket attack on the forward operating base where he was stationed. He was the first soldier from Matagorda County to be killed in the Iraq war.

Students and teachers stood in front of Van Vleck High School, and thousands of residents lined the seven-mile stretch of highway from Bay City to the cemetery in Van Vleck, waving American flags.

This was the 26-year-old Army corporal’s second tour of duty in the war where he worked to train Iraqi soldiers to be peacekeepers.

“I have two sons in the Marines. One just got back from Iraq and the other is stationed in Japan,”said Karen Garza, who watched the funeral procession with her family in the parking lot of Dollar Tree in Bay City. “I feel for the mom and what she is going through. We are here to show support for the family and our troops.”

Regina Densmore stood in front of the Van Vleck High School with family and friends, holding a large U.S. flag.

“I was really touched by the support from the different police and fire departments that took part in the motorcade,” Densmore said. “They had police cars from Matagorda County and the neighboring cities of Freeport, Needville and Brazoria.”

Besides the law enforcement, fire departments, medical staff and military personnel, more than 100 motorcyclists from the Motorcycle Ministry and Patriot Guard, among other groups, were present to show their support.

He was buried with full military honors, including a 21-gun salute, at Rose Lawn Memorial Park in Van Vleck. Brig. Gen. James Gilman presented his mother, June McCormick, with the American flag that draped her son’s casket.

A short time earlier, McCormick’s family – including his mother and older brother, Army Cadet Will McCormick – other family members and about 150 residents filled the First Baptist Church in Bay City for his funeral service.

Will McCormick said that his brother had always dreamed heroic dreams.

“David and I used to dream of a day where terrorism was no longer a threat. We thought to ourselves, could we solve this problem?” he said during his eulogy. “The answer was always a powerful and emphatic, ‘Yes we can.’”

Will described his brother as someone who was brave, strong, courteous, smart and kind. All citizens of this great country have a right to dream heroic dreams, he said.

“Anyone who says we live in a time where there are no heroes, doesn’t know where to look,” he continued. “You can see them everyday…Some wear uniforms, some wear office casual, some wear overalls and some wear rugged clothing.

“They work hard and create new jobs, wealth and opportunity. … Their patriotism is quiet, but its deep,” he said.

Will McCormick also commended community members for representing the solid moral values that were taught to David and himself growing up in Bay City.

These values “sustain our way of life. They ensure peace in a time of global conflict and sustain hope in a winter of anxiety and fear,” he said. “This is a time for American heroes. … God bless David, God bless his memory, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.”

John Braden is a reporter/photographer for the Matagorda Advocate. Contact him at 979-244-1330 or jbraden@vicad.com or comment on this story at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.