Body Of Local Fallen Ft. Hood Soldier Returns Home
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 12, 2009 8:00PM
The body of Army Pfc. Michael Pearson returned home today. Pearson, one of the 13 people killed in last week's Ft. Hood shooting rampage, was a Bolingbrook native. The plane carrying his body landed at Midway this morning and a procession (pictured above) carried his body from the airport to Bolingbrook, and passed Bolingbrook High School (where Pearson graduated in 2006), the Pearsons' home, and finally the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home in Joliet where wakes will be held tomorrow and Saturday morning followed by a service Saturday afternoon. Burial will be at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.
Another area soldier, Francheska Velez of Chicago, was also killed in the shooting and Homewood's Najee Hull was injured in the attack. Earlier today, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged shooter, was charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder. Since Hasan is still an active soldier, the charges were in a military court. Each charge carries the possibility of a death penalty sentence if Hasan is found guilty.