Marine Cpl. Bernard Gooden during training in Canada. - Contributed
JAMAICAN-BORN MARINE Cpl. Bernard Gooden, 22, who was killed in an ambush in Iraq, is to be buried in the rural district of White Cane, St. Ann, Jamaica, with full U.S. military honours at month-end.
He will be buried in the same family plot in which his grandmother and grandfather are buried, and in the same area in which he used to play as a child.
Funeral services will be held on White Plains Road, New York, on April 19, with officiating rites to be conducted by his cousin, Bishop Dr. Courton Reid, of the City of Faith Church of God.
Described as "a man of the world", the Jamaican, with Canadian citizenship, who lived in the U.S., travelled to the Middle East and died in Iraq, will be laid to rest in the one place he yearned to return to permanently.
"He always talked about going back to Jamaica when he made it, and we wanted to take him back home. We didn't want him buried anywhere else," said his cousin, Joyce Reid-Campbell. More than 30 family members in the U.S. are expected to travel to Jamaica for the funeral.
HONOURING HIM
Although the U.S. Marine Corps will underwrite the cost of the funeral, plus expenses for travel for mother, Carmen Palmer-Thompkins, and daughter, Racquel Davidson, other family members have expressed concern about the level of assistance offered by New York Senator Hillary Clinton, and Mt. Vernon's Mayor Ernest Davis. However, Mr. Davis told The Gleaner that Mt. Vernon, where Cpl. Gooden and family lived, will be providing police escort for the funeral.
"We are considering doing something more permanent, such as having a scholarship in his name since he was a scholar and a good human being. We want this to be more than just a passing moment. He had a future that was bright. He was a model son, a thoughtful person and his life was cut short. We are looking at all the pregnant possibilities of his life," the dreadlocked mayor told The Gleaner.
Family members Errol Reid and Joyce Reid-Campbell, who were at the home when The Gleaner visited, are requesting airfare assistance.
"We would love to get help with the airfare as all the family want to go home for the burial," said Joyce, who sat most of the time with her hand at her jaw.
MOM TAKING IT HARD
His mother, Carmen, was not at home during the interview, and family members said she was not taking the death of her only son well. She was in Jamaica when she received the news and has since returned to New York.
Marine Cpl. Gooden served with the 2nd Tank Battalion, Second Marine Division, nicknamed 'Masters of the Iron Horse', and was one of two men from New York state to be killed in action since last Friday in Iraq.
An ambitious young man, he emigrated to Canada after completing his secondary education at Christiana Comprehensive High School, Manchester, where he was the head boy and served as the graduating class valedictorian. He completed his education in Canada before enlisting in the Canadian Marine Reserves.
ARMY WAS THE BEST WAY OF GETTING HIS EDUCATION
He met the love of his life, Elizabeth Knox, at York University, Toronto, while pursuing a degree in Political Science and Sociology, and she, International Relations. The two formed a bond and lived in Kingston, Ontario.
Financial difficulties forced him to rethink his strategy as to how to complete his education. He thought he could serve part-time in the Marines and study part-time, but that was not possible. He was told to be a Marine full-time, then study.
It was the best way of acquiring a college education without burdening his family. The tab would be picked up by the military after he completed his service. "He did his training in the army in Canada as an engineer and was called the 'Fall Back Guy' as he was always the one to volunteer," Elizabeth, his fiancee, said.
He became a Canadian citizen last summer and dreamt of working in Canada and retiring to Jamaica. Two years ago, he came to the U.S., and naturally, he headed for the Marine Corps and enlisted at Fort Bragg. He was deployed from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.