CALHOUN, Ga. – A former Calhoun police sergeant who died in Afghanistan while doing contract training for the U.S. State Department had a full-scale military and police funeral today.
Gary Wayne Willard, 44, served in the U.S. Marines before becoming a Calhoun police officer, then a contractor for Blackwater and later DynCorp. On June 7, he was training elite Afghan police officers when he was shot and killed by an insurgent.
His funeral today featured a police tribute with a three-man Marine honor guard. The service attracted a cavalcade of emergency vehicles and officers from all over North Georgia.
Colleagues describe the married father of two as a tough-as-nails Marine, soldier and police trainer who gave everything to his fellow officers and country.
“When trouble started, Wayne had your back,” said Therrell Goswick, retired Calhoun police chief. “Because he wasn’t serving in the military when he died, Wayne won’t be awarded the Silver Star … but when he gets to the supreme commander in the sky, you better believe he’ll get his Silver Star and a crown of glory.”