Candlelight vigil held for soldier killed in Iraq
Steve Fogarty | The Chronicle-Telegram
AVON LAKE — The finality of death softened a bit in the glow of hundreds of candles that bathed the faces of those who gathered Sunday night at Bleser Park to honor Army Capt. Michael Medders Jr.
The simple candlelight vigil began before sunset on a clear, crisp Sunday not far from Avon Lake High School, where Medders’ life had touched so many others.
The brutal nature of Medders’ death was brought home by the Rev. Tom Robinson of Avon Lake Presbyterian Church, who quoted from the Bible’s book of Ecclesiastes.
“There is a time to wage war and a time to make peace.”
Medders, 25, was killed by a suicide bomber Sept. 24 while serving in Iraq.
The vigil, which lasted about 45 minutes, included reminiscences from those who knew the son of Elyria Police Chief Michael Medders, and also from those who didn’t. One woman, who declined to identify herself, no doubt spoke for many when she told the gathering she just wanted to thank the younger Medders for “keeping us free.”
Army Capt. Jim Irwin, a Poughkeepsie, N.Y., native who roomed with Medders for seven months during their stateside training, told the crowd he dreaded coming to Avon Lake for his friend’s funeral.
“It turned out to be one of the most memorable and fun weeks of my life,” Irwin said. “And that’s just how Mike would have wanted it.”
From their first week together, Irwin knew he wanted to be Medders’ friend. “We had a bond that was different. Here was this enormous, gentle giant with his incredibly contagious laugh. I thought to myself, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ ”
Medders’ embrace of life was unshakable, even when he received a concussion in a roadside explosion near Baghdad on Memorial Day weekend.
“Even after the IED (improvised explosive device) injured him, he said, ‘That was awesome,’ ” Irwin said.
Praising Avon Lake and its people as “the most loving, caring community I’ve ever been in,” Irwin said the last time he saw Medders was about two years ago in Charleston, S.C., before either had shipped out to the Mideast.
After reminding the gathering of the fleeting nature of life, Robinson told the crowd not to suppress their sadness and sense of loss.
“Let the tears come and feel the grief,” he said. “They are reminders that you loved Mike.”
Medders’ love of life and good times was fueled by a perpetual optimism, according to John Ross, a close friend.
“He was so proud of Avon Lake, of being a Shoreman, and of his family and friends,” Ross said.
Ross shared a funny story about the time he and Medders, a 2001 Avon Lake grad and all-state football player, bit off more than they could chew while working at the city’s former Finast Supermarket. Told never to handle more than four to six shopping carts at a time, the pair felt insulted.
“Any self-respecting Shoreman could push more carts than that,” Ross said.
One day they tried to bring 45 shopping carts into the store. As they tried to make a turn with the impromptu “train,” all 45 carts tipped over.
“He made me smile and laugh,” Ross said.
Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Steve Fogarty | The Chronicle-Telegram October 6th, 2008 in Top Stories. Popularity: 3% |
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