WEST JORDAN — Tears mingled with snow as family members, friends and fellow soldiers faced bitter cold and harsh winds to honor Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka Saturday.
Maj. Gen. Robert M. Williams, commanding general of the United States Armor Center and Fort Knox, presented the folded flag that had draped Nemelka's casket to his mother, Teena Nemelka, as parents and siblings of the 19-year-old soldier huddled together at the Utah Veterans Memorial Park near Camp Williams.
Nemelka was one of 13 soldiers killed Nov. 5 at Fort Hood, Texas, in a mass shooting that wounded 28 other soldiers. He was at Fort Hood preparing to be deployed. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has been charged in the killings.
At a funeral held earlier Saturday in the West Jordan River LDS Stake Center, Williams praised Nemelka as an "outstanding soldier and a credit to our nation."
"He volunteered for the most difficult job in the service," Williams said about Nemelka's chosen assignment to help dispose of munitions in Iraq and Afghanistan. "He wanted to save lives, and he was willing to put his life on the line to do that."
In a reference to the Fort Hood shootings, Williams said, "The most difficult thing I will do in the Army is be here with you today. It's important that you understand that we know you count on us to move toward the difficult and the dangerous."
Jay Dee Blades, Nemelka's uncle, said the soldier was "a fine young man who lived with passion and faith. He was independent, easy going, a good listener, nonjudgmental, a true friend and empathetic."
He also enjoyed a variety of sports and liked playing video games. "He could play Guitar Hero with his back to the screen and not miss a beat," Blades said. "He was proud to follow in the footsteps of a cousin and his uncles. He was looking forward to coming back to attending the U. to become an architect."
Nemelka's aunt, Kelly Jolley, said he was a natural peacemaker who tackled military service head on.
"Aaron showed us through his example that he was ready to walk toward his challenges," she said.
Nemelka joined the Army just over a year ago and was to deploy to Afghanistan in the coming months. Relatives say he was planning to ask his girlfriend to marry him in December.
In a statement read by an uncle, Maj. Kevin Nemelka, Aaron's parents, Michael and Teena Nemelka, offered their condolences to the parents of the other shooting victims and expressed appreciation of the concern expressed to them personally by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at services held at Fort Hood Tuesday.
Among those attending the funeral in West Jordan were Gov. Gary Herbert, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz and U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, said Lt. Col. Lisa Olsen, Utah National Guard spokesman.
Many family members gathered at the Utah Veterans Memorial Park for military rites, despite the unseasonable weather, as sobs could be heard above the flapping of 30 American flags held by members of the Patriot Guard Riders, who also stood guard outside the meetinghouse during the funeral to discourage potential protesters. None materialized.
Contributing: Associated Press
e-mail: mhaddock@desnews.com