Frank Trussel laid to rest

DANVILLE -- Army Spc. Francis M. Trussel Jr. of Lincoln was remembered Wednesday as a father and soldier who wanted to serve his country.

“He was a genuine hero. His sons will know that their dad was a special American,” said Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who attended funeral services for the 21-year-old killed in Tahrir, Iraq.

“We love you, Frank, and we always will,” Quinn said.

Trussel, a tank operator, died May 26 from an explosive, the Department of Defense said.

Trussel had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, Texas. He joined the U.S. Army in March 2005 and was deployed to Iraq in October of the following year.

The 2003 alumnus of Deland-Weldon High School in DeWitt County studied art in spring 2004 at Lincoln College, Lincoln. He joined the Army soon after. The Danville native lived in Lincoln with his wife, Jodi, and two sons, Jaden and Malikye.

The trio entered the chapel Wednesday to a country song — “Watching You” by Rodney Atkins — about a young son who learns lessons by watching his father.

At the end of the funeral, Trussel was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, the (Danville) Commercial-News reported in a story posted on its Web site. After the medals were presented to his widow, Toby Keith’s “American Soldier” played.

Outside the funeral home, the procession passed under an arch made by the ladders of two fire trucks.

Mourners holding American flags — some saluting, others with hands over their hearts — stood along the route to Danville’s Oak Hill Cemetery, where Trussel was buried.

From the Pantagraph

Related Link:
Frank (Francis M.) Trussel Jr dies of 'wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position'