Volunteers erect flags for fallen soldier

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- More than 100 volunteers showed up at the Black River Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon to help Larry "The Flag Man" Eckhardt place 2,380 flags along the funeral procession route for Staff Sgt. Eric Summers.

The 32-year-old Poplar Bluff soldier was among four U.S. Marines killed in an explosion at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Summers graduated from Poplar Bluff High School in 1999 and attended Three Rivers College one year before enlisting in the Marines. He served 13 years in the Marines, including five deployments -- one in Kuwait, one in Iraq and three in Afghanistan.

On Nov. 13, Summers and three other members of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team were killed during range maintenance operations to dispose of unexploded ordnance.

"Eric was a hero. He had the ability to give of himself. This came from his parents and his community," Echardt said."You loved Eric and what he stood for. You loved this nation."

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the First Baptist Church and the funeral at 10 a.m. Saturday in the church. Burial will be in City Cemetery.

"The funeral procession will go north on Westwood, east on Katy Lane and Barron Road and south on Main Street to the cemetery," said Randy Schulz of Cotrell Funeral Service, which is handling the arrangements.

To bring his trailer load of flags to Poplar Bluff, Eckhardt drove more than 350 miles from his home in Little York, Ill., which near Rock Island, Ill.

He did not serve in the military, but began taking flags to military funerals in 2006 after he observed the lack of flags at a soldier's funeral in Galesburg, Ill.

"I have been to 120 military funerals in 10 states," said Eckhardt, 57, who started with 150 flags.

He thanked all the volunteers -- veterans, men, women, children and 32 from the Sears Youth Center.

"Without you, I couldn't get this done," Eckhardt told the large crowd while wearing a coat with the words "Flagman -- Honoring Those Who Serve."

Among the signs on his van and trailer are: "Today A Soldier I Did Not Know Died So I Could Be Free" and "Thank You For Our Freedom."

Flags were loaded onto five pickups and the volunteers followed to put them up along the funeral route and at the funeral home.

It took the volunteers three hours to put up all the flags.

"These people were super. The flags make a statement that this young man was someone special," Echardt said.

Poplar Bluff Boy Scouts will install the flags on light poles along Westwood.

Jim Smith of Doniphan, Mo., a member of the American Legion Post 153 Legion Riders in Poplar Bluff, was among the volunteers.

When asked why he wanted to help, Smith looked at the veteran in front of him and said: "There is the reason."

Sean Dial of Poplar Bluff was serving with the Marines when he was wounded in Afghanistan in 2010. He has a prosthetic lower leg and foot.

"I was fortunate to make it back. I want to help honor those who didn't make it back," said Dial, who works at the Gates plant.

Dial is from Memphis, Tenn., but he moved to Poplar Bluff to be with his friend, David Lack, who served in the same Marines squad and lost a leg two weeks earlier.

Smith said the Legion riders will not ride during the funeral procession, but will wear their berets and uniforms while standing along the route.

Jennifer Hood of Poplar Bluff was volunteering along with her sons, Josh, 17, and Timothy, 12.

"We want to support the troops and Eric's family," said Jennifer, who is friend of one of Eric's cousins.

Her boys said they wanted "to show respect for the troops."

Nine Marines will serve as pallbearers today and Saturday, give a rifle salute at the cemetery, play taps and present flags to Summers' wife, Andrea, and parents at the cemetery.