Scores of mourners gather at Hollister airport to honor fallen
Army Staff Sgt. David Gutierrez
By Chris Quirk
Staff writer
More than 100 people with American flags silently crowded the
Hollister Municipal Airport runway Wednesday as the military
transport plane carrying fallen Army Staff Sgt. David H.
Gutierrez’s body, who died on Christmas in Afghanistan and was
buried Thursday in Gilroy, came into sight at 10:30 a.m.
Scores of mourners gather at Hollister airport to honor fallen Army Staff Sgt. David Gutierrez
By Chris Quirk
Staff writer
More than 100 people with American flags silently crowded the Hollister Municipal Airport runway Wednesday as the military transport plane carrying fallen Army Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez’s body, who died on Christmas in Afghanistan and was buried Thursday in Gilroy, came into sight at 10:30 a.m.
Gutierrez, a 35-year-old father of three, died while on patrol. He was buried in Gilroy alongside his daughter, who died silently at birth from a rare disease in 2008. The body was scheduled to arrive at 10:40 a.m. at the airport by military transport, then was set to be taken by motorcade to Gilroy, where services were held Thursday.
Those gathered included Gutierrez’s wife, Patty, and his three sons. They were joined by army officers, Gilroy police, Hollister police, members of the California Highway Patrol, more than 50 members of the Patriot Guard Riders – a group of motorcyclists that were a part of the funeral procession – and local firefighters.
In the bright and crisp air, few people spoke as the plane readied for a flyover.
Local residents were impacted by the funeral procession, as the motorcade – which included police cruisers, army vehicles, motorcycles and a white hearse, all with their hazard lights flashing – passed through Hollister early Wednesday.
The motorcade at times stretched a quarter-mile long and took several minutes to pass through lights.
A vigil was held Wednesday at St. Mary’s Church in Gilroy and a funeral Mass was held Thursday, followed by military graveside services and a reception at the Gilroy Veterans Hall.
