Saturday, Jun. 14, 2008

Staff Sgt. Frank Gasper's family thanks Merced

We love each of you and are so thankful to each of you for all your love and support toward our families. Please continue to keep our military and their families in your prayers.

Signed, A Gold Star Family: Joel and Anita Richards, Proud Parents of Staff Sgt. Frank Gasper, aka Gasparticus, and sister and brother-in-law Victoria and Staff Sgt. Dustin Beuerlein

Dear Merced County Residents:

My name is Stacey Devine-Fairfield and I am writing this on behalf of my daughter Breanna Gasper who lost her husband Staff Sgt. Frank J. Gasper on May 25, 2008 while on his fourth tour of duty in Iraq. When we first learned of Frank's death, as anyone could imagine we were absolutely horrified. This wasn’t supposed to be happening to “our family” -- probably what every other family who has lost a loved one in the war or even in an accident would be thinking.

Immediately, we were contacted by friends, family, and former co-workers from Merced. What a blessing it was to have them call and send their condolences. I know that people probably didn’t know exactly what to say, or even how to say it, but we want all of you to know that it meant the world to us.

Making the funeral arrangements was obviously the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. However, Mark Anderson from Stratford Evans Funeral Home was absolutely wonderful. He was patient, caring, and truly at our beck and call. We were able to do most of it by phone, as we were still in Colorado awaiting word on when Frank would make it home. He made making these horrible arrangements at least bearable. Breanna kept saying she only wanted the best for Frank, and he made sure that is exactly what he received. We also want to thank the military -- all branches -- for their services before, during and after the funeral. What a great job they did honoring a hero.

Reading the articles written by Leslie Albrecht before we arrived in Merced was truly amazing. Admittedly, they were heartbreaking. However, I feel as if she captured the “real” Staff Sgt. Frank Gasper. He would have been so proud and probably would have been a little embarrassed; he was not the sort of person who would toot his own horn.

When Frank arrived at the Merced Airport we were naturally very upset. However, we felt a little relief to see the Patriot Guard Riders holding their flags in honor of our hero. They were very respectful to our family and friends. They led the hearse to the funeral home and were there again on the day of the funeral. When I first was told about the organization and what they did I was appalled that people would actually come out to protest at the funeral of a fallen soldier. We are very grateful for the Patriot Guard Riders and their presence and were happy that there was no one there who wanted to disrupt the honoring of such a wonderful man.

The day of the funeral is actually a blur to all of us. There are several things that stand out in my mind that remind me what a wonderful community Merced is. One is the fact that so many people came out to honor my son-in-law, including Mayor Ellie Wooten and state Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani.

While we were on our way to the cemetery, there was a gentleman who got out of his truck and saluted Frankie. What a wonderful and warm feeling we all had when we saw him. Once we turned on to B Street, the street was lined with American flags. What a beautiful sight. There were people standing outside watching us go by with tears in their eyes. Even though they may not have known Frank, they were obviously saddened by our loss. When something like this happens we sometimes only think about how this tragedy is affecting our family and we forget how it actually can affect a whole community.