Clifton Yazzie's burial to take place Saturday

By Brian Hassler
Staff Writer

KIRTLAND — Sgt. Clifton Yazzie's body arrived in Albuquerque Thursday evening.

Yazzie, of Kirtland, was killed Jan. 20 when an improvised explosive device killed Yazzie and three other soldiers in Iraq.

On Tuesday the community met with the Yazzie family to offer support, and on Wednesday the family met with U.S. Army officials in order to find out when they could have the burial.

"When he arrives in Albuquerque, we will be conducting a funeral service," said Christina Tso, a relative of Yazzie's. "His body will be guarded through the night until we leave at 7 a.m. on Friday morning to come back to Farmington for a viewing."

Following Friday's viewing, the funeral service for Sgt. Yazzie will take place on Saturday morning at the Farmington Civic Center and will be followed by the burial at Greenlawn Cemetary.

For Tso, the hardest part will happen when the family views the body of Sgt. Yazzie.

"Right now they're so occupied with everything," said Tso. "I think tonight will be hard with the service and the color guards standing watch. The hardest part will be seeing him come home."

"His wife, Michelle, got a call from back east, and she broke down when that happened," added Tso. "But she's keeping it strong and preparing for tonight and the next couple of days."

Support for the Yazzie family has come from as far as Iraq in the form of e-mails from soldiers that are still serving.

"My name is Sgt. Phillip Begay and I'm from Fort Defiance. Everyone here is sending their condolences to the family. We deployed with the Gallup unit back in August of 2005," Begay said in an e-mail.

"We grieve for the loss of another one of our soldiers," added Begay. "I want to send my condolences to the family of Sgt. Yazzie. It is sad to hear of the news like that. I know everyone misses their friend, son, and a soldier who gave his life for what he believed in. I know that everything will turn out well for the whole family and that they will be blessed in many ways by our Lord."

Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, Lawrence T. Morgan, added the support of the council to the Yazzie family recently as well.

"The Navajo Nation is once again in a state of mourning the loss of a fallen hero," said Morgan. "We have much to understand from the daily sacrifices of all our soldiers as they perform their duties in defense of our great country, as well as our own Navajo Nation. Let us remain vigilant in our prayers of our men and women in uniform and for their families."

"I send condolences to the family of Sergeant Yazzie, who was a member of a specially-trained elite team of the United States Army. Despite the loss, I personally am very proud of his achievements and his interest to be the best of the best. Indeed he is our hero to be long remembered," added Morgan.

The viewing of Sgt. Clifton Yazzie will be at the Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral home in Farmington while funeral services for Sgt. Yazzie will take place at the Farmington Civic Center at 10 a.m.