FARMINGTON — Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth W. Westbrook once told Capt. Bryan Finch in the Persian Gulf War that soldiers in Westbrook's unit were tired of waiting around.
"They want to get out there and be soldiers," Westbrook said at the time, according to Finch.
Finch told Westbrook he would live to fight another day.
Friday morning, Westbrook lay in a casket covered with the American flag on a stage in the Farmington Civic Center.
"You now lie eternally and you will never have to fight again because you live with the prince of peace, Jesus Christ," Finch said.
Hundreds of people filled more than half the civic center theater seats as speakers remembered Westbrook as an intense, passionate, funny man who had a strong religious faith and who was dedicated to his wife, Charlene, and three sons, Zachary, Joshua and Joseph.
Westbrook, who grew up in Shiprock, died in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 7. He was wounded in Ganjgal Valley, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit Sept. 8, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Westbrook, a 1987 graduate of Shiprock High School, is the second son who parents Ruth A. Westbrook and Marshall Westbrook, both of Farmington, have lost in Middle Eastern wars.
Kenneth Westbrook's brother, New Mexico National Guard Sgt. Marshall Alan Westbrook, 43, died Oct. 1, 2005, when a bomb was detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad.
The Westbrook parents are the only ones in New
At Friday's funeral, Karen Stevens, a Blue Star mother, told Ruth Westbrook that she hoped the family could find comfort knowing their sons were with God.
"How much can one family bear?" Stevens said.
Photos of Kenneth Westbrook growing up and spending time with his family were shown on a large screen as Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" played.
Others photos showed Westbrook, who served in the Army 22 years, wearing military camouflage and holding a rifle.
Kenneth adored his wife, Charlene, and sons and he would not allow Charlene to be alone when he was away, Army Lt. Col. William Flournoy told audience members.
Charlene once lost a diamond on her ring and Westbrook bought a new, larger one. He had it set on her ring as a Christmas surprise.
Westbrook also had a great sense of humor, Flournoy said. Sometimes Westbrook pretended to be a ventriloquist by moving lips of animals with his hands and talking in a funny voice.
Westbrook enjoyed the Army and he worked even on days when he was sick.
The Westbrook family, though they did not speak during the funeral, accepted the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, military honors awarded to Westbrook.
Westbrook was buried in the veterans' section of the Shiprock Community Cemetery after the memorial service.
Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., visited the Westbrook family when the soldier was being treated in the hospital.
"Military families are a special group of people," Udall said Thursday on the Senate floor. "Every day they face sacrifice and challenges the average person just can't imagine, and they do it with grace and strength and an unwavering belief in the country they call home. That's the kind of strength I saw the day I visited Charlene and their sons."
People who attended the funeral were shaken by Westbrook's death.
Kirtland residents Ray Yazzie and his wife, Alfreda Yazzie, hoped their presence at the memorial service would help the Westbrooks.
Ray Yazzie said his daughter and two of his sons-in-law were serving overseas in the military.
"It's an unpopular war, but we have our children's lives out there," he said. "You can never put an unpopular mark on what they are doing."
Other people, though they had never met Westbrook, also visited to show their support.
Shari Eldridge, of Kirtland, said she came to pay tribute. Her nephew and niece serve overseas in the military.
Al Chavez, a Nageezi resident who was a Marine, also attended to pay respect to Westbrook and his family.
"It gets me deep in the heart when veterans pass away," he said.
Vern Lee, who lives in Fruitland, wanted to thank the Westbrooks for their sacrifice.
"God bless them," he said.
Westbrook is the 10th Navajo to die in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2004, according to the Navajo Nation. He is the third Navajo soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2004.
Steve Lynn:
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