SPRINGFIELD, Mass. --
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - “Day
is done, gone the sun; from the lakes, from the hills, from the sky; all is
well, safely rest; God is nigh.” (Lyrics to TAPS)
TAPS is a familiar bugle call for all who
have a relation to the United States military. What began as the call to
extinguish all light and turn to rest has become the symbol of eternal rest for
those fallen heroes of the military.
The tune was heard as Gunnery Sgt.
Thomas J. Sullivan, battery gunnery sergeant with Battery M, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine
Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, was laid to rest July 27,
2015 near Springfield, Massachusetts after he and three other Marines and one Sailor
were killed during the tragic shootings in Chattanooga, Tennessee July 16,
2015.
“My brother was always and will be
forever a gunnery sergeant and United States Marine,” said Dianne Caron,
Sullivan’s sister, during her remarks at the funeral service. “He was a
brother, son, uncle, cousin, nephew and a grandson. He was a friend to all, if
you knew Tommy, he would say, ‘see that guy, he’s my friend,’ and that was
before social media. Once a friend to Tommy, always a friend.”
The statement could not have been truer
as family, friends and strangers showed up in the hundreds filling the moderate
sized Holy Cross Church in Springfield where Sullivan was once an altar boy. The
streets in the surrounding area as well as the procession route to Veterans
Memorial Cemetery in Agawan, Massachusetts, were also full of supporters from
the local community members.
Sullivan’s sister Dianne recalled just
how much he cherished his family and his Marines during her remarks at his
service.
“All the times he went away he was told
to come home safe,” said Dianne. “But he told us that his job was to keep us
safe and to bring home his Marines. He could never guarantee his own safety, to
us it was really no surprise. My grandmother always said, ‘Thomas you just
bring home more medals,’ and so the medals sit in her home with pride.”
When asking others to describe what kind
of man and Marine Sullivan was the only response was ‘Tommy was Tommy, a Marine’s
Marine.’ He was a practical joker who greeted everyone with a smile that
resembled a kid in a candy store, and he spent all the time he could with those
he loved especially his nieces and nephew.
“He loved to do crazy things with his
nieces and nephew,” said Mary-Kate Caron, Sullivan’s niece, during her remarks.
“Every Fourth of July we would wait for him to come home because his firework
displays were legendary. He liked to do it Marine style, but Tommy was Tommy
and everything was over the top. He spent much of his time with us on vacation,
he never called it leave, he told us one would never leave the Marines.”
Many who came to pay their respects
previously served alongside Sullivan, and had their stories and memories to
share as well.
“We came up in the Marine Corps
together, everyone in the battalion knew everyone,” said Gunnery Sgt. Mark
Kamenszky, a friend of Sullivan’s. “Our relationship was the typical Marine
Corps one; when I left for Operation Iraqi Freedom we parted ways and then I
went on recruiting duty, came off then went to Camp Lejeune, then I see Sulli
again, and it’s like, I haven’t seen this guy in years! But nothing had changed;
we picked up right where we left off. It was like we were lance corporals again.”
As Kamenszky continued his memories with
Sullivan, one story brought back quirky memories of the practical joker Sullivan
was.
“He use to come into my office all the
time while I was working,” said Kamenszky. “I’m that type of guy that always
has one more email to send, but he would say ‘let’s go to chow…let’s go to chow.’
and I always had something else to do, so he would unplug my computer monitor
and say ‘work’s done, let’s go.’”
All the memories of time spent among
friends and family will never be lost, practical jokes, games and antics, never
to be forgotten. The usual kid in the candy store with the quirky smile is
eternally etched into the minds of all who knew him. Tommy was Tommy and a
grateful nation says farewell.
“Day is done, gone
the sun; from the lakes, from the hills, from the sky; all is well, safely
rest; God is nigh.”