Morgan Hill
– Under a gray Friday morning sky, the voices of children rang
out in honor of fallen Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jeramy Ailes, a
Gilroy resident who died Monday while fighting in Iraq.
Nearly 200 students gathered around the flag pole at Morgan
Hill’s Barrett Elementary School and sang
”
God Bless America
”
as four visiting Marines hoisted a flag in honor of the slain
22-year-old soldier.
Morgan Hill – Under a gray Friday morning sky, the voices of children rang out in honor of fallen Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jeramy Ailes, a Gilroy resident who died Monday while fighting in Iraq.
Nearly 200 students gathered around the flag pole at Morgan Hill’s Barrett Elementary School and sang “God Bless America” as four visiting Marines hoisted a flag in honor of the slain 22-year-old soldier. Teachers, parents, and local residents joined the students in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and in a moment of silence.
The ceremony, attended by several members of the Ailes family, was the first of several scheduled in coming days to honor the life of the young man. He was killed in an ambush situation at the end of a week-long campaign to root out insurgents in Fallujah.
Several members of Ailes’ family attended the Barrett ceremony, including his father Joel Ailes, his eldest sister Janay, and his aunts Debbie Santos and Marlene Serrato.
Mr. Ailes said that “everybody’s been wonderful, from the Marines, to the media, to family and friends. It’s been a tremendous support.”
In this time of grief, the father of the soldier has been an anchor for others. At one point during the ceremony, Janay, 23, laid her face on her father’s chest and cried. Later, Mr. Ailes hugged an emotional Principal Lisa Atlas, who had struggled throughout the ceremony to hold back her tears.
Atlas, who met Jeramy Ailes 17 years ago when she served as his den mother for Tiger Scouts, said she felt proud he joined the military, “but always worried” for his sake and the family.
“It’s a mother’s worst fear to see her son go to war,” she said. Ailes’ mother, Lana, has worked in the front office since the school opened four years ago.
Following the flag ceremony, Atlas recited an adaptation of Joanie Mitchell’s “The Circle Game,” mixed with references of the soldier’s passion for cars, country music, and fishing.
“The years spin by and now the boy is 22,” Atlas said. “His dreams of grandeur have been taken away, yet he is in a place where new dreams, maybe better dreams are waiting for him.”
Classes at Barrett took turns throughout the day placing red ribbons on the school fence in memory of Ailes. Among the first were students in Maria Elena Jarson’s sixth grade class.
For sixth grader Winston van Keulen, the ceremony was a reminder of “how bad war is.”
“It makes me angry,” said classmate Alexis Whitaker, whose cousin is a reservist that may soon be sent to Iraq. “It’s just not right. Nobody deserves it. … A lot of people have felt this loss, and a lot closer than we have.”
“It think we should be proud of Jeramy because he wanted to serve his country,” said Matthew Cugley. “It’s a big loss but it’s great to know there are people out there who love this country and want to protect it.”
All the students said they talked about Iraq with their parents and had seen images of the war on the nightly news.
The latest reports placed the U.S. death toll in Iraq at more than 1,200.
Staci Faulk, expressing the frustration of many students, wondered “how many people will die in this war before Iraq is saved?”
“I feel sad because people like Jeramy died,” Melisa Yurian said, “and they had a long life to live.”
Students have not been the only ones to express their remorse, or their memories of the young man, known for being a prankster who loved the outdoors.
One of his childhood friends, U.S. Marine Cpl. Joshua Miller, recalled weekend adventures with Ailes.
“It wasn’t camping with Jeramy if you didn’t have a 15-foot tall fire,” wrote Miller, who is stationed in Islamabad, Pakistan. “Whenever we went, before anything in camp was set up, you would find Jeramy pouring our reserve gas in the fire, especially at the Pismo Beach dunes. Half the time we wouldn’t need lights – our fire was so big it was like day time. … I could never ask for a better Marine or friend. Memories of Jeramy will last forever.”
Ailes will receive a purple heart and full military burial. Funeral services have not yet been scheduled.
Jeramy Ailes Memorial Fund
• Family friends have set up a memorial fund at Washington Mutual bank in Morgan Hill.
• Checks should be made payable to: Washington Mutual Account 0982852488.
• Donations can be sent to Washington Mutual, 17599 South Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
• Or left with Christy Schwartz in the Barrett Elementary School office, 895 Barrett Ave., Morgan Hill.
Christy has asked that a name and address be included so a thank-you note can be sent.
