Hundreds mourn N.H. soldier
Ex-police officer, father of 4 died in Afghanistan
FRANKLIN, N.H. - As a member of an honors team, Army National Guard Corporal Scott Dimond traveled around the state to honor fallen soldiers. Yesterday, he was the one being remembered at a funeral service held 12 days after he was killed in Afghanistan.
Dimond, 39, was a father of four who served for 18 years as a police officer in Franklin before joining the New Hampshire Army National Guard two years ago. He deployed in January as part of a tactical training team working as mentors to the Afghan National Army and the country's police force. He was killed Oct. 13 in a roadside bomb blast.
Stores along Main Street were closed and people lined the streets as the funeral procession passed by. An American flag was suspended between two Fire Department ladder trucks.
During calling hours Friday night, the line to enter the Franklin Middle School gymnasium stretched down the hallways and wrapped along one side of the building. Inside, friends, family, and colleagues watched photos of Dimond flash on a big screen.
"It brings back all those memories of spending all that time together," said Pat Riberdy of Sanbornton, who graduated from Franklin High School with Dimond in 1987. "He was a fun guy, lighthearted, liked to have fun, one of the boys. He took care of his friends."
Sergeant Michael Nagle of Henniker worked with Dimond on the Guard Honors Team. As two of the "old guys," Nagle is 45, he said he and Dimond had similar stories and were comfortable with each other.
"What I really respected about Scott was he did all those things that good people do," like serving in law enforcement, raising a family, and then serving his country, Nagle said.
Nagle said he feels an extra duty to support Dimond's family given the role Dimond served on the honors team.
"This is one of our guys," he said. "We want to do the best we can for Scott's family." 