Theodore Sailor Remembered

Alabama Pakistan Flags will fly at half-staff on the Theodore High School campus.

by Jessica Taloney

Published: Wed, September 24, 2008 - 4:23 pm CST Last Updated: Wed, September 24, 2008 - 4:25 pm CST

Petty Officer Matthew O'Bryant has left a legacy on the Theodore High School campus that will not be forgotten.

"We all hope our lives count, and Matthew's life really counted," says LTC Frank Adams, who leads the school's JROTC program. "He truly, truly is a good person."

O'Bryant is the first Theodore graduate killed during Operation Enduring Freedom. He died Saturday in a suicide truck bombing at the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan.

"When something like this happens it brings it (the war) full circle," says Ronnie Rowell, Theodore High School's principal. "We realize they're over their fighting for our freedom and our ideals."

Nearly 200 Theodore students are following in O'Bryant's footsteps, participating in JROTC. Many of the students plan to serve their country after graduation, bringing this war, which is nearly 8,000 miles away, much closer to home.

"The fact he was willing to die for his country does make me proud to go to Theodore High School," says Cdt/1LT Hunter Schipman.

Friday, the flags on the Theodore campus will fly at half-staff, and school officials are planning several tributes.

O'Bryants body was flown home to the US Tuesday, and the military is handling the funeral arrangements.

No one has taken responsibility for the attack that killed O'Bryant, but al-Qaeda and the Taliban are being blamed.

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