Georgia lays 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan to rest as family creates scholarship to honor his legacy
Family, friends, veterans, and community members gathered Friday at Georgia National Cemetery to honor the life of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, the 25-year-old Georgia soldier killed in July in an Iranian missile strike on a military base in Jordan.
Feehan was remembered during a mostly private, 75-minute funeral service attended by loved ones, fellow service members, and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp. At the family's request, news media observed from a distance, allowing relatives to celebrate his life in private.
Outside the cemetery, however, the community made its presence known.
As the funeral procession traveled to Georgia National Cemetery, people gathered along the route to salute the fallen officer and offer support to his family.
"I just hope that they feel some type of support, that they're not alone," one spectator told CBS Atlanta. "It's pretty awesome to see this community come together."
Raised in Bryan County, Feehan served as an Air Defense Artillery officer in the U.S. Army. Throughout the ceremony, family members described him as a selfless leader whose greatest source of pride was the success of the soldiers he commanded.
His mother, Shari Feehan, called Tyler her "best friend" and expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support her family has received.
"We have so much support with our family, and the community support, the prayers," she said.
His father, Stephen Feehan, said Tyler rarely spoke about his own accomplishments.
"Our conversations were always about not what he was accomplishing, but what his soldiers were accomplishing," Stephen Feehan said. "He was always trying to get recognition for them."
Determined that Tyler's commitment to service will continue, the Feehan family is establishing a scholarship fund to help ROTC cadets pursuing military careers pay for college.
The scholarship, they say, is meant to reflect the values Tyler lived by: service, humility, kindness and leadership.
"We want people to remember the scholarship fund, supporting our soldiers, doing kind things for each other, remembering not to divide the country, but to stay together," Shari Feehan said.
Stephen Feehan said the outpouring of support from people across political and personal differences has helped carry the family through their grief.
"There are a lot of good people," he said. "You can tell they support us regardless of political divide, and that's what keeps us going."
The day carried another profound layer of loss for the Feehan family.
Within days of Tyler's death, his maternal grandfather, Benjamin Feehan — a U.S. Air Force veteran who served during the Vietnam War — also died.
On Friday, grandfather and grandson were laid to rest side by side at Georgia National Cemetery.
The Feehan family says they hope Tyler's legacy will endure not only through memories of his military service, but through future generations of officers who will benefit from a scholarship established in his name.
