NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NewsChannel 5/AP) – The body of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith, one of five servicemen killed in an attack in Chattanooga, has been brought back to Tennessee for burial.
This came one day after the body of Staff Sergeant David Wyatt arrived in Nashville from Dover Air Force Base. Chattanooga police officers led the procession from Nashville International Airport.
Wyatt's funeral was held Friday morning in Hixson, Tennessee, just northeast of Chattanooga.
A group called the Patriot Guard Riders made sure the slain Marine was given the honor he rightfully deserves.
The same show of support was displayed to honor sailor Randall Smith Friday.
Officials said Smith’s body arrived in Nashville around 6 p.m. He would be taken to be laid to rest at the Chattanooga National Cemetery.
According to those with the La Vergne Police Department, the procession for Smith on Interstate 24 passed under the Waldron Road bridge in Rutherford County shortly before 7 p.m. Friday.
Officers blocked off the bridge long enough for pedestrians to stand on the bridge and show their support and respect for Smith as the procession passed underneath.
Those with the La Vergne Fire Department displayed the U.S. Flag over the bridge. The public was been invited to attend.
Many others gathered on other bridges that pass over the interstate to show their love and support.
Smith and four other servicemen -- Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan, Lance Cpl. Squire K. Wells, Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist, Staff Sgt. David Wyatt -- were killed last week when Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire at a joint Marine-Navy facility.
On Thursday, the Navy has held a memorial service for Smith in Virginia. More than 400 sailors, friends and family members attended the memorial aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, where Smith served from 2011 to 2014.
The service was held in the Wasp's hangar bay. The Navy says it's uncommon for a command to hold a memorial service for a sailor that had not been working there, but that Smith's case was special.
Smith still has friends who serve aboard the ship, where his career began.
The FBI continues to investigate the motive behind this attack. Agents said said they’re treating Abdulazeez as a "homegrown violent extremist.”
The family has asked, in lieu of flowers, that memorial contributions be made to the Capital Bank beneficiary account for Randall Smith, P.O. Box 2146, Fort Oglethorpe, GA 30742.
Those with the family said the funds raised would go to an education trust for Smith’s three daughters.
To view Smith's obituary, click here.
(Copyright 2015 by NewsChannel 5 and The Associated Press.)
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