Soldier Killed at Fort Hood from Bolingbrook

Chicago - The Fort Hood massacre hit home in Bolingbrook with news that 21-year-old Army Private First Class Michael Pearson was among the 14 people gunned down Thursday by an Army psychiatrist. 

He was the best son in the whole world," said his mother Sheryl Pearson as she gathered with other family members outside her home.

Private Pearson has been in the Army for just over a year, and his mother had been making plans for a family holiday gathering.

“I was just shocked because I was getting ready for him, I was preparing for him to come home for Christmas. And I knew he would probably be deployed in January and this was just amazing to me. It still doesn’t seem real to me,” Pearson’s mother said, fighting to keep her emotions in check.

Pearson was a 2006 graduate of Bolingbrook High School, where as a freshman he was involved in ROTC. Today the flag was lowered to half staff.

The school community feels for the family, in that the thought of losing a child in that way is just very traumatic. And so were very sensitive to the fact that the family is hurting, were sensitive to the fact the he was an alumni of Bolingbrook High School, and its been a very solemn day as a result, said James Mitchem, the principal at Bolingbrook High School.

Pearson’s mother said they talked about the dangers of being in the Army, and being deployed, but she supported him in his decision. He wanted to serve his country, he wanted to get an education, and he wanted to travel. And he just wanted to do something with his life, and he didn’t think he could do that if he just stayed here, his mother said.

Later in the day two Army representatives came by the family’s home. Their mission, console the family, inform them of Pearson’s benefits as a soldier, and then to help make arrangements for his funeral.

Major Bruce Townshend, the Army Reserve Public Affairs officer who came to the house, said this tragedy has been compounded for everyone because Pearson was murdered by a fellow soldier, on an Army base.

But we are not treating PFC Pearson's loss any differently than we would, had his loss occurred in an overseas combat environment. He was a soldier serving in the United States Army and he served honorably and we are here to take care of the family," Townshend said.

Neighbor Judy Love remembers Pearson as a sweet young man, who loved to play guitar on his front porch with his dad.

“Just felt that I should stop by, I don’t have any words to give the family to comfort, but I did have hugs to give them,” Love said.

Major Townshend said Pearson’s funeral would likely be next week, but he did not have any information about when his body would be brought back home.

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