Tony Knier laid to rest

WELLSBORO -- Tony Knier collected wolves.

He admired them and what they stood for. He even had one tattooed on his arm, because he identified with them.

"He had a curio cabinet full of wolf figurines," said his mother, Betty Tidwell. "No two are the same. He loved the type of animal a wolf is -- wild and free. It was part of the way the outdoors called to him. That's the way he was."

Knier will be memorialized today with a closed-casket viewing from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Carleton Funeral Home along Route 6 and a funeral at 3 p.m. at the Wellsboro Firemen's Annex along East Avenue.

The Army sergeant first class was killed by a remotely detonated improvised explosive device on Oct. 21 near Tikrit, Iraq. He was a 1994 graduate of Cowanesque Valley High School and leaves behind wife Bobbi Kline Knier, formerly of Wellsboro; sons Marcus, 8, and Dakoda, 6, and daughter Kayli, 2.

Several hundred people were expected to turn out for the viewing and funeral, including many from Fort Bragg, N.C., where Knier was stationed.

On Monday, Bobbi Knier and Tidwell prepared for today's events, arranging flower deliveries and taking care of other chores -- trying to keep busy in the shadow of the death of a husband, father and son.

Bobbi had a visit last weekend from Annie Ostrom, whose stepson, Ryan Ostrom of Liberty, was killed in Iraq in 2005.

"We have been getting lots of support," Bobbi said. "Everyone wants to do something to help. They just don't know what to do.

"I'm still shocked that it happened," she said, spooning a bite of macaroni and cheese into Kayli's mouth in the Stony Fork home of her parents, John and Sandra Kline. "I never had any bad feelings when he left. I never anticipated this."

Tony wanted to go to Iraq because that was his career. He wanted to put in his 20 years and retire to Tioga County, where he could hunt and hike and raise his family.

"He wanted to go over there," Bobbi said. "He had never been anywhere. He said that was what he was trained to do. He said if he didn't go, all that training would have been wasted. This was about his career. He never hesitated."

And he never failed.

Knier was a successful soldier, an elite Army Ranger, a paratrooper and a drill sergeant. Today, he will receive a Bronze Star medal and a Purple Heart. Both will be presented to Tidwell and Bobbi Knier.

"Whatever he achieved in the Army, he achieved with the highest honors," said Tidwell, of Springfield, Tenn. "And he achieved everything the Army had to offer. I couldn't be more proud of Tony."

And given the final hand he was dealt, things came out the way he would have wanted them, Bobbi Knier and Tidwell said.

"He would have wanted it to happen just the way it happened," Bobbi said. "If he had a choice of him being killed, or one of his men being killed, he would have wanted it to be him. He wouldn't have it any other way."

More than a week after they were told of his death, the Knier children are beginning to realize that their father isn't coming home, Bobbi said.

"Marcus is very upset" she said of the oldest. Kayli says she's scared. She says, "I miss my daddy." (Dakoda) is having stomach problems and problems with his nerves.

"We lied to Marcus and we have to make that right," she said. "Before Tony went over there, he said, 'Daddy, are you going to die there?' and we said, 'No. Of course not.' So we lied to him, and he remembers that."

Bobbi said she expected today's events to be overwhelming, and that they would make her feel proud.

"It makes me proud that everyone is there for Tony," she said. "I want the kids to know that everyone loved their daddy.

"I know there are protesters," Bobbi said. "I think it's important to remember 9/11, because that's the reason we're over there. They weren't protesting on 9/11."

Bobbi visited the funeral home earlier and held one of Tony's hands. She supports the troops' efforts in Iraq. But it's time to leave, she said.

"I don't want Tony to have died for nothing," she said. "I just wish they would get it over with and get the guys home."

Tidwell said her son did his job as well as anyone could and paid the ultimate price. It will take time to deal with that, she said.

"I'm not angry that it happened," she said. "I'm hurt. Tony died fighting for his country. He died with dignity.

"I hope that people will remember that these boys are fighting for us," she said. "God takes the best ones. My son was one of the best."

From the Star Gazette

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