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Members of the Honor Guard perform the final folding of the American flag that was draped over the coffin of U.S. Staff Sgt. Briand T. Williams at the funeral service Saturday. Jonathan Chick
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Brianna Williams, daughter of U.S. Staff Sgt. Briand T. Williams, sits in the lap of her mother and SSGT Williams’ wife, Atiyah Williams, and holds on to a teddy bear that was given to her by the Patriot Guard Riders and the flag that was presented to her by the U.S. Army in memory of her father. Jonathan Chick
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The hearse carrying the body of U.S. Staff Sgt. Briand T. Williams is surrounded by the Patriot Guard Riders Saturday afternoon. Jonathan Chick
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A Hero’s Farewell
U.S. Staff Sgt. Briand T. Williams buried with full military honors
ADEL — A large number of people turned out for the funeral service of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Briand T. Williams Saturday. Family members and friends, well-wishers from the community, members of the Cook County Sheriff’s Department and Adel Police Department, members of the military and others gathered in the Cook County Middle School gymnasium to bid farewell to one of their own.
Williams died on Nov. 22 in Numaniyah, Iraq from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Heavy Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
During the service, family members and friends shared reminiscences of Williams, whose flag-draped coffin flanked by many wreaths and bouquets of flowers stood directly in front of the speaker’s platform. Fellow South Griffin Lodge No. 697 member, Brother Oree, said Williams “was short, but everything else about him was big — big strength, big smile, big heart.”
Eric “Chip” Richards, who grew up with Williams said, “He was passionate about life. He loved God and he loved his family. He was passionate about everything he did. He was good in soul and good in heart.”
A Harrington Funeral Home staff member told those in attendance that Williams “served his country with dignity and honor. Your loved one loved serving his country, so he went down as a soldier.”
Citizens of Cook County, some in uniform, many holding flags, lined the streets along the procession route to Woodlawn Cemetery in Adel. Williams coffin was laid in its final resting place with full military honors, including a 21-gun salute by a United States Army Honor Guard.
Williams graduated from Cook High School in 2002. He was captain of the football team and a standout wrestler. Shortly after graduating, he joined the U.S. military as an infantryman. During his seven-year enlistment, he was deployed to Afghanistan once and Iraq twice. At the time of his death, he was 25 years old.
Williams leaves behind his wife, Atiyah Williams, a daughter, Brianna, his mother, Tonya Flippen of Valdosta, his father, Fred Williams Jr. of Hahira, and a host of other family members and friends, according to the funeral service program.
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