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North Attleborough mourns fallen Marine

E-mail|Link November 6, 2009 03:28 PM

Globe photo by Wendy Maeda

Megan Van De Giesen (rear), wife of the Captain Kyle Van De Giesen, at the funeral today.

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH -- Thousands of mourners clutched small American flags today as they lined sidewalks, standing among the yellow ribbons along Main Street and massing in front of the local high school.

The crowd came out for the funeral of Captain Kyle Van De Giesen, a 29-year-old Marine helicopter pilot killed last week in a crash in Afghanistan. The hearse was escorted in the bitter cold this morning by a phalanx of motorcyclists.

More than 2,000 people packed St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church for a service steeped in military tradition and Catholic ritual. Governor Deval Patrick was among those who attended the funeral Mass.

While few in the sanctuary held back tears, the service set an uplifting tone, focusing how Van De Giesen lived and not how he died. He was remembered as a man dedicated to both the Marines and his family, which includes an 18-month-old daughter, Avery Grace, and a wife, Megan, who is pregnant with his son.

"He was a friend of mine," said Captain Michael Rozzetti, one of two Marines who spoke during the Mass. "A brother in arms, we served together."

Rozzetti then read from a letter written by the Marine's father, Calvin Van De Giesen, to his son after he died in the crash.

"You're my heart, you're my soul," the father wrote. "You're my son."

Van De Giesen died in the crash Oct. 26. He also leaves his mother, Ruth Ann, two brothers, Christian and Ryan, and a sister, Caitlin, all of North Attleborough. A private burial service will be held afterward in the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

Also today, Captain Eric Jones, 29, a Marine killed in the same collision between two helicopters will be remembered at a wake in Mashpee. Jones grew up in Westchester, N.Y., and was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. His parents now live in Mashpee.