It all started when two cops on bikes, sirens blaring, stopped right in the middle of the road and held us there.
And then the cops began the procession of at least 4-5 dozen vehicles. As you can see Korean Air cargo is back there, as are some other Asian airlines.
At the official beginning of the procession (cops on bikes in front notwithstanding - they were just there to clear the way) was a hearse. I later learned that this carried a soldier, Staff Sergeant Joshua Cullins of the USMC and an officer of the LAPD.
And so it was that I came upon this solemn event that left me shaken, for after the hearse came a slew of sheriff’s vehicles, bomb squad vehicles (from both the FBI and sheriff’s department), some civilian vehicles with Marines inside, and so many more cops on bikes. It was an eerie event that left me wondering if there had been a bomb at LAX, but then I figured the funeral procession wouldn’t be ready so quickly.
All throughout lunch I tried to find out what that was, but it wasn’t until I got back to the office that I was able to find some articles about SSgt Cullins, who had served in Afghanistan and was recently killed by a bomb. He was a Marine reservist as well as an LAPD officer and he was on the cusp of joining the bomb squad, hence the three types of vehicles that were a part of the parade of respect.
Out of all the branches of the military, I respect the Marine Corps the most. They’re the ones in the trenches much of the time, fighting the dirty battle. So oo-rah to this young Marine and police officer who contributed so much. May the troops still out there stay as safe as possible.
Here are some of the articles my friends and I found:
http://www.daylife.com/photo/04RkaGUa8S7aS?q=Los+Angeles+International+Airport
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cullins-20101020,0,2239541.story
