Boyhood best friends return from Iraq; one severely wounded, one dead (Clint Williams)

Mathew Herndon on the day of his return from Iraq. The severely injured soldier learned the next day that his best friend since boyhood, Clint Williams, had been killed.

Clint Williams

KINGSTON -- Sometimes, the only true way to test a family's strength is to judge its unity in difficult times.

If that's the case, then Marshall County, with just a little more than 14,000 residents, is the strongest of families.

Wednesday, from Kingston to Madill, and in towns in between, folks were celebrating the return of one of their own, National Guard Spc. Mathew Herndon, 23, who was severely wounded in Iraq last month.

The next day, however, joy turned to sorrow when the county learned that another one of its soldiers, Army Sgt. Clint Williams, 24, was killed in Iraq.

Julia Davis, who works for the county commissioners, will never forget last Thursday.

She had just finished writing a column for the Madill Record on Herndon's return when, on the way home, she noticed an Army car pull by Williams' aunt's house.

Davis said she was gripped by an ominous feeling when she saw the car, and "All I could think about was Clint's family.

"I had done a story about him some months ago after he was wounded in Iraq," Davis said.

Soon her worst fears would be confirmed.

It was a roller-coaster ride of emotion, but folks in these parts did what they've always done best -- they rallied around each other and offered their support.

That was the case Saturday when hundreds of residents at an annual festival downtown recognized Herndon's achievements, and then came together as one to mourn the loss of Williams.

Best of friends

The two were the best of friends. They grew up together. The both had played in the Little League, and then graduated together from Kingston High School in 2001.

State Rep. Terry Hyman, D-Leon, was at Saturday's festival and helped recognize the valor and sacrifices made by Williams and Herndon.

"It's unbelievable, the community support," Hyman said Monday. "People have gone beyond what normally is expected to show their support, their strong family values and their spirit of compassion in caring for one another.

"I think everyone shares in this sense of loss. There are no words to make the hurt go away, so folks come together to provide help and resources to family.

"These two young men set example of love they have for their country, and it's an example a lot of young people should look at and try to follow," Hyman said.

Across the county on Monday, flags flew at half staff for Williams, and the patriotic showing extended to residents as well.

Herndon's father, Mike, knows the Williams family, esBalance = 30.0 ptspecially Lavoyd Williams, the fallen soldier's father.

The two are in the home construction business, but, beyond that, they were Little League parents and helped coach their sons and their teams.

And "on Friday we cried together," Mike Herndon said.

He said his son and Williams were always together.

"There were four or five in that group, and they did everything together," he said.

Similar paths

Herndon said his son and Williams never served together in Iraq.

His son, he said, joined the National Guard while still in high school and was involved in the opening phases of the Iraq war and the conquest of Baghdad in 2003.

Mathew Herndon stayed in Iraq for a year and then returned home. Last March, though, Herndon volunteered to go to Iraq again.

He was with the 1345th Transportation Company, 90th Troop Command, of the Oklahoma Army National Guard when he was wounded Aug. 23 at Mosul.

He was shot in the upper right shoulder and right elbow, and also suffered a broken left wrist and left forearm when he came out of his armored vehicle.

After 10 surgeries, the son is home and recuperating through therapy.

"Everyday is getting better for him" Mike Herndon said.

Williams was killed Thursday in Baghdad when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb during combat operations.

He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Williams enlisted in the Army in 2003 and had been in Iraq once before. He was deployed there again last year.

He was wounded in the legs and hand in June during a fierce firefight south of Baghdad, but, in spite of his injuries and pain, Williams fought on and ran to alert fellow troops of the fight.

There has been talk around Marshall County that Williams should be nominated to receive the Medal of Honor for his heroism.

"Yes, there has been talk of the Medal of Honor," said Williams' uncle, Dale Wren.

Outpouring of support

Wren fought tears on Monday as he recalled the life of his nephew and his fascination with the military way of life.

Wren, a career Navy man who retired from the Coast Guard in 1994, choked with emotion in describing the outpouring of community love and support the family has received during these last awful days.

"It's been overwhelming," he said. "People have been bringing food, calling, bringing flowers and plants. It's unbelievable the caring being shown," he said.

"We'll sure miss him," the uncle said of his nephew.

Wayne Sampson, industrial education teacher at Kingston High School, described the mixed emotions of joy for Herndon's return, followed by the tragic news of Williams' death.

He had taught both in high school, and remembered them quite well, even keeping in touch with them after they had graduated.

"We celebrated when we got one of them home. He was wounded, but we knew he would recover," Sampson said. "Then we heard the tragic loss of Clint Williams.

"Clint was one of those students who earned the title of class president. He was a tremendous student," Sampson recalled.

"We had the unique opportunity to continue as friends after school. It's a special thing when a student can influence a teacher like Clint did."

Sampson said Williams talked all the time about going into the military.

"It was what he wanted to do."

Sampson said Herndon and Williams were always together in school.

Even the students in Madill were close with those in Kingston through athletic rivalry. Williams played baseball while in school.

"We're only seven miles apart, so the kids in both towns all know each other. That's why this is such a tragedy," Sampson said.

Funeral arrangements for Williams are pending with the Watts Funeral Home in Kingston.

Sampson said the funeral will be held at the Kingston High School gymnasium, and he has been asked to speak at the funeral.

"That will be an extreme honor for me," he said.

In addition to his father, Williams is survived by his mother, Marci Sprouse of Arlington, Texas; brother Duron; and sister Jessica.

From Tulsa World