Fallen soldier memorialized at Arlington National Cemetery

Although his ashes were laid to rest in Lake Tahoe, it was Arlington National Cemetery where Timmy Smith told his father that he wanted his memory to live on.

He's now a part of something much bigger, family members say. Army Sgt. Timothy "Timmy" Smith now is memorialized along with the tens of thousands of soldiers at the national military cemetery in Virginia.

Smith was eulogized by 35 friends and family there on Oct. 17. The 2001 graduate of South Tahoe High School, who would have turned 26 last month, was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb on April 7. He was the first South Lake Tahoe native to become a casualty of the war.

In the months after his death, the Smith family had planned for a military funeral, and with the help of donations by the community, enough money was raised, including airplane tickets for Smith's mother, Patty; his father, Mike; and his brother and sister, Tommy and Jackie.

The military funeral included a 21-gun salute, followed by the playing of taps and a flag presentation to Smith's siblings. The parents received American flags from the Army in April during funeral services at South Lake Tahoe.

Smith's memorial at Arlington National Cemetery is in Section K, Row 125. It is a white granite stone that says: "In memory of Timothy M. Smith, Sgt. U.S. Army, Sept. 20, 1982-April 7, 2008; Bronze Star, Purple Heart; Operation Iraqi Freedom."

"Timmy would have been happy with the spot," Patty Smith said Saturday. "It is on a hillside, the sun shines through it, and there's a nice tree there. It's an ideal place, because I know he would have seen it as a place for him to snowboard down the slope."

The family made a pact to return to Arlington to remember and honor Timmy each year, likely on April 7. The two funerals have given the family a sense of closure, although Smith's memory lives on in countless photographs and conversations among family, friends and those who continue to offer sympathy and support.

"He's always here, right by me looking over my shoulder. I write to him in my journal every night," his mother said.

Mike Smith recalls the day his son said he wanted his final resting place to be at the national cemetery. At the time Timmy enlisted - in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks - the father knew there always was the possibility his son would die in the war. The conversation was brief but candid and matter-of-fact, he said.

"He told me if anything happened, he wanted to be at Arlington," Mike Smith said. "We told our chaplain this, and they made it happen."

The chaplain was Sgt. Major John Hefner. He serves as the Nevada Army National Guard casualty officer. He informed the family that it was only recently that a military clause had been lifted regarding burial services at the cemetery. Before the change, soldiers who were cremated were not allowed to have headstones.

The April 18 funeral and procession at South Lake Tahoe was attended by hundreds, along with thousands of locals lining the streets to pay their respects. The ceremony also brought a sense of duty and brotherhood with it, as there was a pact made between Timmy and Sgt. Brandon Lord, Smith's brother in arms. They pledged to each other that if one of them should die, they would return home with the body and be with family members.

Lord maintained the commitment and has since been in contact with the family, either by phone or e-mail almost daily. Lord has been redeployed to Iraq and was unable to attend the Arlington ceremony, the family said.

The ceremony was as emotional as it was official, family members said. The 21-gun salute and taps brought Timmy's brother and sister a sense that he died doing what he believed in.

The ceremony was something "you'd see in the movies, only you can't really describe it or give it justice until you're there," Jackie Smith said. "When you look at all the tombstones along the hills and all the trees, there's honor there."

Also attending the services were Barbara Smith of Massachusetts, Timmy's grandmother, and his grandfather, John Keefe. What struck both about Arlington was all the trees. Timmy had an affinity for trees. Growing up, he would visit his grandmother in Westborough, Mass., and whenever she couldn't find him, all she had to do was look up.

"It was an ideal place that Timmy would have approved of," Barbara Smith said.

For Tommy Smith, Timmy's younger brother, the experience at Arlington was a tribute that brought some closure, although at times the situation still doesn't seem quite real.

"My brother is gone. There hasn't been a day that goes by that I don't think of him. It still remains fresh, as though it happened yesterday, but it's been (more than) six months," Tommy Smith said. "I never realized how time went by so fast. It's made me realize that we have to take advantage of every day and cherish it and the time we have together, because it can be taken away from us."

A thank-you from the Smith family

The Smith family thanks those who made the Arlington trip possible.

The family would like to thank P.J. DeGross of the group Web of Support, who planned the fundraisers and collected donations; Jan Brase (of Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons' office), Verita Protho (of Rep. Dean Heller's office) who held a fundraiser at DoppleGangers in Carson City, and let the family use their restaurant; numerous merchants from South Lake Tahoe, Stateline, Carson City and Reno; Rick Wharton for helping with plane tickets, the anonymous donor who gave three airplane tickets; and Brothers Bar and Grill for taking donations.

The family appreciates the support of Barton Memorial Hospital employees and patients; Mike and Susan Elfisch, Ben and Debbie Rodgers, whose son, Josh, who was killed a year ago in Afghanistan; Steve from Operation Cookie Jar, who helped in getting flag bags to bring the family flags home from Arlington; many close friends, so many who know who they are: Erin Jamison, for getting the family hotel rooms at a extremely low price; Holly in Arlington, helping the family with flower arrangements. Sgt. Major John Hefner, who has supported the family every day; Lisa Miller, Stu Miller's mother (who Tim Smith was with since boot camp) and his fiancee, Meghan, who helped organize the family's first night in Arlington. Everyone at Arlington National Cemetery who arranged the ceremony. Amber and Nick, who have been with the family every day. And all the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division: "We love you so much for watching Timmy's back, and loving him as you did," Patty Smith said.