***Update Sept. 17, 2009 11:41 a.m.***
Visitation will be held Thursday night for Lance Corporal Christopher Fowlkes. It's at 6 p.m. at Blakely Funeral Home in Gaffney.
Memorial Services will be held Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Gaffney.
By proclamation, Cherokee County Council has declared Friday Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Fowlkes Day in the county. All citizens are urged by county council to observe a moment of silence at 2 p.m. Friday and offer a prayer of condolence to the family and to the memory of Chris Fowlkes. The proclamation also asks for church bells to be rung at this time and all flags be flown at half mast throughout this day.
***Update Sept. 17, 2009 6:30 a.m.***
More than a week after his death, hundreds gathered in Gaffney Wednesday to pay tribute to 20 year old Lance Corporal Chris Fowlkes. Some waited more than 2 hours to see Fowlkes motorcade, and welcome the Gaffney soldier home. "Freedom isn't free," resident Chris Summers says. He, like many other strangers, never knew Fowlkes but still came out to honor his life. "I felt called to be here," says Summers. Also in the crowd, stood Fowlkes lifelong friend and fellow marine, Lance Corporal James Owensby. "When he joined the Marine Corp, I saw a change that was one in a million. I said I want to be just like that."
Fowlkes, a Gaffney High School graduate, never wore a uniform for attention. Wednesday, as hundreds stood in tears, that's what he got. "We should just be grateful that there are people that will go and die for us," says Dee Kirby. Ginny Elmore adds, "Just showing our respect and being here and understanding why we live in America, and why we serve our country." It's a country, that's loved even more now in the Cherokee County community. Many say that's because of Fowlkes, who gave his life for them. Summers says, "My sons could be in the military one day, and this could be in 20 years losing a son."
As Fowlkes body drove by, his family rolled down windows and shouted "thank you" to the crowd. Owensby said his friend would have been proud. "He's smiling where he's at. And his heart is touched."
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