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PITTSFIELD, M.A. (NEWS10) -Staff Sergeant Jacob Galliher was remembered with a procession around his home state of Massachusetts. The memorial welcomed hundreds of community members to look back on his life before he was laid to rest.
The remains of Galliher were flown into Westover Air Reserve Base Friday afternoon. He is one of eight service members killed in a training accident off the coast of Japan in November.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey was among the many who gathered before the somber procession. “We as Americans need to make sure that every single day of the year we are looking to take care of our military families and all of those who have taken care of us.”
The hearse traveled through the towns of Lee and Lenox before it arrived at Taconic High School, where Galliher had graduated in 2017.
“To lose somebody under these tragic circumstances… You know, he’s only been out of high school for a few years,” said Chairman of the Taconic High School Committee, Bill Cameron.
Hundreds of Galliher’s classmates welcomed him back to the campus one last time. The principal handed out flags, and many people holding them had tears in their eyes.
“One thing this family talked about, and his friends talked about, was just what a positive, upbeat attitude Jake had. It was really something to hear people talk about his constant smile, his calming presence, his upbeat attitude. He was a person who was there for everybody,” described Governor Healey.
The Galliher family then ended the night at Dery Funeral Home in private. “It is with deep sadness that we welcome Jake Galliher home today to Massachusetts. We in Massachusetts will work very hard to honor his spirit, to honor his memory, by making sure that we do everything to take care of military families and those who served,” said Healey.
There will be a wake in Dalton on Tuesday, December 19, followed by a funeral on Wednesday, December 20, at St. Agnes Church.
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