Greeley – Twenty-year-old Tyler Ryan MacKenzie, a soldier killed in Iraq, was memorialized Friday as a young man who was loyal to his family, friends and country.
More than 1,000 people filled the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 49th Avenue and hundreds more stood outside holding American flags and homemade signs saluting Pfc. MacKenzie. On Veterans Day, friends and church members remembered MacKenzie as a tall, determined young man who joined the Army to guard the freedom of fellow Americans and bring freedom to the people of Iraq.
“He has gone from one nation to another, from serving his country to serving the Lord,” church member Keith Lorimer told mourners.
MacKenzie was assigned to the Army’s 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment at Fort Campbell, Ky. He was part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and was assigned to Iraq on Sept. 28.
He was killed on Oct. 31 near Baghdad when a bomb exploded near his Humvee. Two other soldiers also died in the blast.
“His greatest concern was that he might inadvertently hurt an innocent person, especially a little child,” church member Mark Christianson said at the memorial service.
Christianson said MacKenzie was known to jump from the roof of his house as a child but it didn’t seem to stunt his growth.
Mourners chuckled at the image.
Growing up, MacKenzie was a Boy Scout and played football at Greeley West High School. He was an active member of his church.
“I’ll always remember what he stood for and how fortunate we all are to have people of that mettle,” said Mark Roggy, MacKenzie’s football coach.
Before the service, a small group from the Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, Kan. – an anti-homosexual church – protested outside.
Protest organizers say America supports homosexuality and therefore anyone who dies in service of the country also supports homosexuality.
A row of about 40 motorcycles, most of them Harley-Davidsons driven by service veterans, lined the street along the church. Drivers revved the motorcycles’ engines to drown out the protesters.
Gregg Rhoads, a city councilman from Evans, MacKenzie’s hometown, said that it’s ironic the young soldier died, in part, to protect the freedom to protest.
“These veterans, these guys who sacrifice like he did, have given them the right to protest,” Rhoads said. “However, I think the protesters are pathetic.”
After the service, hundreds of cars drove past supporters holding flags. Firetrucks and police cars with lights flashing joined the procession to Sunset Memorial Gardens, where MacKenzie was honored with a 21-gun salute.
He is survived by his parents, David and Julie; a sister, Nicole; and his grandparents.
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-820-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
