Holstein street dedicated for fallen soldier

HOLSTEIN — American flags lined the main streets as at least 200 residents and visitors gathered to pay tribute to one of their own who died serving his country 10 years ago.

Residents dedicated a local street at state Highway 74 and Holstein Avenue to Army Sgt. Wayne Cornell, who was killed in action on March 20, 2007.

Cornell’s sister, Janalle Gowlovech of Sioux Falls, S.D., recalled the dreadful day when her family learned her brother had died. She remembers the shock and heartache the family endured in the aftermath.

But she also shared how the family slowly made peace with the tragedy and found ways to continue with life in a way that would make Cornell proud.

While she doesn’t like speaking in public, Gowlovech said it was a small sacrifice to make compared to her brother’s service to his country.

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She thought the street sign was a simple gesture that Wayne would have appreciated

“I thought it would be a nice tribute,” she said. “It reflects what he would want. He was proud of his town and his country.”

Gowlovech described Cornell as a dedicated family man with a mischievous side who lived to serve as a member of the Holstein volunteer fire department and a soldier in the U.S. Army.

“A piece of him is always with us,” she said, later adding, “Wayne is totally and absolutely alive in each of his children.”

Cornell and his widow, Tricia Gay who has since remarried, had three children — Dameion, now 15, Zoie, 13, and Sadie, 10. Sadie was born about three months after her father died.

During the ceremony, each of the children received a street sign with their father’s name matching the sign posted on top of the post at state Highway 74 and Holstein Avenue. The children were surprised by the gift, purchased by their paternal grandmother, Patricia Perrie.

“It means a lot,” Dameion said.

Perrie said she wanted the kids to have a keepsake from the ceremony.

“I thought why not have one made for each of the kids,” she said.

In addition, she ordered T-shirts for immediate family members to mark the street dedication and the 10th anniversary of her son’s death.

Perrie was impressed by the turnout for the street dedication and thankful to all those who helped. American Legion members served as color guard. Patriot Guard riders lined the street with American flags to honor the fallen soldier. The American Legion Auxiliary provided lunch and the Holstein community committee and fire department also helped.

“It turned out very nice,” Perrie said. “I thought everything went great.”

Cornell grew up in Holstein and graduated from Silver Lake High School in Roseland in 1999.

He was a member of the Hastings Troop A 167th Calvary of the National Guard for four years before joining the Army in 2005.

Cornell began his first tour of duty in Iraq in February 2007 with the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry, 4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based in Fort Riley, Kan. He had also served in Bosnia and Afghanistan during previous tours.

Cornell was 26 when he and another soldier were killed March 20, 2007, after a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq.

Cornell was the fourth generation of his family to provide combat military service. His great-grandfather served in World War I, his grandfather was involved in World War II and his father fought in the Vietnam War.

In addition to family and friends from the area, a couple of soldiers who served with Wayne in the 28th Infantry made the trip to honor a fallen comrade.

Bryan Richardson drove from Lubbock, Texas, for the ceremony. He said his unit was Cornell’s surrogate family while he was on base in Kansas.

“He was our leader,” he said. “He made us who we are today.”

Jeff Tyler flew in from Los Angeles, Calif., to a man he described as one of the greatest men he has ever known. He said Cornell was humble and would have shied away from the attention of the ceremony.

“The thing he would have appreciated the most is everybody being here,” he said.