Lufkin
Lufkin returns home tonight
Soldier's body headed to Knoxville, then H-P-W; funeral services Friday
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Tuesday, May 30, 2006
KNOXVILLE - The body of Pfc. Caleb Lufkin will return to western Illinois around 9 p.m. today.Lufkin, who died Thursday during surgery to repair injuries sustained in Iraq May 4, will be flown from Washington, D.C., to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
He will then be escorted to Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral Home, 1070 W. Fremont St., by the Illinois State Police and members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a private organization whose mission is to honor American members of the military.
Organizers have set a specific route for the processional. It will pass Galesburg and Knoxville on I-74, take the Lewiston exit and come back through Knoxville, East Galesburg and Galesburg en route to the funeral home. Memorial candles will be distributed near the front lawn of Galesburg High School and supporters are encouraged to bring American flags.
Lufkin, a 24-year-old Knoxville native, was seriously injured May 4, when the Army vehicle he was in hit a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq. After being stabilized in a hospital in Germany, Lufkin was brought to Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. He died of cardiac arrest Thursday during the third surgery to repair his wounds.
The family has determined that the funeral will be 11 a.m. Friday at Bethel Baptist Church, 1196 N. Academy St., with the visitation set for 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Bethel Baptist.
Processional Route
- Who: Pfc. Caleb Lufkin
- Where: The processional route will enter Knoxville from the east, travel down Main Street and follow Henderson Road to East Galesburg, where it will continue to Galesburg on East Main Street. The procession will continue west on Main Street, turn north on Henderson Street and follow it to Fremont Street. At Fremont Street, the group will turn west and drive to the Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral Home.
- Listen to: Country station WAAG, 94.9 FM for periodical update on the expected arrival time of the processional.
- Note: Organizers are asking people not to follow the processional, but instead wait on the sides of any of the streets along the route. Memorial candles will be distributed near the front lawn of Galesburg High School.
