Harrisburg honors Chris Barton

By: Ben Mcneely | Independent Tribune
Published: June 03, 2010

HARRISBURG --

Chris Barton came home to a hero's welcome.

The fallen paratrooper who was killed in Afghanistan on May 24, returned to Harrisburg and the town turned out to honor him.

Hundreds of people lined N.C. 49 and secondary streets, waving American flags and holding their hands over their hearts, as Barton's motorcade, lead by the Patriot Guard Riders, drove through Harrisburg on its way to Mint Hill, where his funeral will be Saturday.

For Harrisburg resident Jim Heffner, it was a duty he felt he needed to do. As a veteran himself, he said it's necessary to honor those who served.

So he went out to the intersection of Hickory Ridge and Rocky River roads and, as the procession went by, he held an American flag.

"To me, it's an obligation, because he paid the price for us to be able to talk about this," Heffner said, "so I could stand there. It meant a lot to me."

Harrisburg town officials orchestrated the turn-out on short notice, said Mayor Tim Hagler. The town sent out telephone messages to everyone and asked businesses to to shut down operations for a short time Thursday morning.

They contacted Cabarrus County Schools and asked if Harrisburg Elementary School students could stand out front of Stallings Road Park to pay respects as the procession headed to Barton's old neighborhood.

Sure enough, third-, fourth- and fifth graders stood out on the side of Stallings Road, holding little
American flags. They carried a banner that read: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. H.E.S. HONORS YOU.

"It was overwhleming," said Roy Schmiedeshoff, Chris' father. "I knew they were doing something, but I didn't know it was going to be this big.

The procession drove from Concord Regional Airport and took Concord Mills Blvd. and Bruton Smith Blvd., where traffic was stopped. In front of Charlotte Motor Speedway, the large American flag in front of Smith Tower was at half-mast. Speedway employees stood in the median on U.S. 29 to pay respects.

Residents in neighborhoods on Morehead Road stood in their yards, waving American flags and standing at attention, with hands over their hearts. At every intersection, a police officer or sheriff's deputy saluted the hurse.

On N.C. 49, two fire trucks had their ladders extended -- one with a large American flag hanging from the top of the ladder.

As the procession drove under the flag, Roy asked the two army sergeants assigned to escort the family if they've seen displays like this often.

"One looked at the other and they both shook their heads," Roy said. "They said they had never seen anything like this before.

"We feel very blessed to be in this community," he added.

All too real

Barton's body, escorted by his friend, Pfc. Austin Haskins, arrived at Concord Regional Airport at about 9:20 a.m. His family, Mayor Hagler and former congressman Robin Hayes, were among those who waited for Barton at the airport.

For Elaine Schmiedeshoff and her family, seeing her son's flag-draped casket made the whole ordeal far too real.

"I wanted to go hug Austin, when I saw him get off the plane," Elaine said. "I thought he was just as brave as Christopher. I couldn't imagine having the strength to volunteer to do that."

The family traveled in a van to McEwan Funeral Home in Mint Hill, where they viewed Chris' body. That is where is where Barton's body will stay until Saturday's funeral service at Idlewild Baptist Church.

"I really needed to see him, to have that closure," Elaine said. "Now that I did, it makes it too real."

The funeral will be Saturday, June 5 at 1 p.m. at Idlewild Baptist Church. Barton will be buried at Harrisburg Presbyterian Church cemetery. The procession will take Idlewild Road to W.T. Harris Blvd. to N.C. 49 (University City Blvd.) to the cemetery at the Morehead Road intersection.

McEwen Funeral Home is serving the family. Funeral director John Debord said the procession should reach the cemetary about 2:30 or 2:45 p.m. on Saturday.

Barton's family set up the foundation to fund a scholarship for spouses of service men and women who are deployed. It is set up with Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte.

They request that donations be made to the foundation in lieu of flowers.

Donations may be sent to: SPC Christopher R Barton Scholarship Foundation, 9611 Brookdale Drive, Suite 100, PMB 197, Charlotte, NC 28215.