A soldier's 'Climb to glory'
At funeral Mass, family and friends mourn, salute Alex Jimenez
LAWRENCE - When the mournful sound of bagpipes playing "America the Beautiful" subsided, only sobs and cries could be heard as the body of Army Staff Sergeant Alex R. Jimenez was carried into a church in Lawrence.
One woman's wail echoed above the rest: "Mi niño! Mi niño!" My son! My son!
Jimenez's mother, Maria del Rosario Duran, was among hundreds of mourners who gathered outside St. Mary of the Assumption church yesterday before entering the church for the funeral Mass to say goodbye to Jimenez, 25, who was abducted 14 months ago after insurgents ambushed his convoy in Iraq. His family had held out hope he was being held somewhere and would be released, but their hopes were dashed two weeks ago when his body was found.
Jimenez was born in New York and lived in Lawrence between ages 8 and 13, when he moved to the Dominican Republic with his mother. He returned to Lawrence after graduating from high school, just before he joined the Army.
The soldier's casket was draped in a white cloth and given one final blessing at the start of the service, which was attended by Governor Deval Patrick, US Representative Niki Tsongas, Democrat of Lowell, and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, at the church where he made his First Communion.
Jim Wareing, who became close to the family while they awaited news about Jimenez's fate during the months after he disappeared, told the nearly full church about how Jimenez was a jokester who loved to make his family laugh. Wareing told them about a time in the Dominican Republic, where Jimenez's family is from, he carried a stranger to the hospital after he saw him get hit by a car and stayed by his side until he was stable.
Wareing also cited a letter Jimenez wrote, vowing to "to fight for the innocent who can't fight for themselves."
Red, white, and blue flower arrangements adorned the altar, flanked by two statues of angels in front of the fallen soldier's casket. Jimenez's father, Ramon "Andy" Jimenez, who wore dark sunglasses during most of the service, sat in the front pew with Duran and Jimenez's brothers.
Some relatives wore black and white T-shirts that read "climb to glory" above a picture of Jimenez in his Army uniform and during the service sang along to the chorus of "God Bless America" with their heads bowed and their hands over their hearts.
Braulio Duran, a cousin who drove from New York City, said he felt Jimenez was depicted "as our nation's hero" and that "this is exactly what he wanted to be portrayed as."
"Part of what we are witnessing here is part of what Alex's letter said. He wanted the whole world to know who he was, but he didn't know it," his father said.
Outside the church, before the service began, a crowd that included families with children, leather-clad bikers, and military veterans lined up along the road leading to the church. Many held American flags, creating a path outlined by red, white, and blue.
They fell silent as the horse-drawn wagon carrying Jimenez's flag-draped casket approached. A black and purple cloth surrounded the wagon. Some people chimed in as "America the Beautiful" was played by a band that followed the casket got louder.
Following his disappearance last year, Lawrence and neighboring communities united as one, waiting for information about Jimenez.
"Everybody was hoping together, praying and hoping that they'd find him," said Billy Gallant, 48, of Haverhill, who served in the Army in the 1980s. "I think a lot of people are here for that reason, to show their support."
Mayor Michael Sullivan of Lawrence said the city came together when Jimenez was kidnapped. "They always had hope that the one day would come when Alex would return home," he said during the Mass. "Today, Alex is home."
At the end of the service, Jimenez's parents thanked the community for their support. "Thank you to the whole world who has been there throughout the anger, through the pain, throughout the suffering," said Andy Jimenez, standing by Duran. "And may I add, God bless you."
Another service is planned for Aug. 2 on Long Island in New York, where Jimenez's mother lives, before he is buried in Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, N.Y.
Jonnelle Marte can be reached at jmarte@globe.com. 