Hushed conversation in Portland’s Sullivan Gym lapsed suddenly into silence as Lavinia Gelineau appeared at the back of the room. She advanced slowly on the arm of a man in a green ceremonial U.S. Army uniform. Her slow progress past the crowded folding chairs tragically evoked a bride’s wedding march – a trip she made two years ago in Romania, her home country. Lavinia’s entrance signalled the beginning of her husband’s funeral. Christopher Gelineau, an Army Specialist in the 133rd Engineer Battalian of the Maine Army National Guard, died in Iraq on Tuesday, April 20 when a roadside bomb expladed under his humvee. The crowd, about 600 in all, including a detachment of identically dressed Army soldiers in the stands, rose spontaneously to its feet.
Lavinia took her seat at the front of the crowd and the silence stretched on. In the gym’s parking lot, six Army soldiers approached the rear of a hearse in lockstep. Not far away, USM Police’s Timothy Farr stood at attention by his cruiser. As the six men stepped haltingly back bearing the coffin, he saluted with the rest of the Police and Army personnel who stood by, a rare and heartbreaking sight on the USM campus.
The men pushed the coffin, which was draped with the U.S. Flag, on a wheeled platform to the front and someone placed a picture of Christopher on it. Lavinia , tall, gaunt and proud, approached and kissed the picture. Christopher’s funeral had started. Everyone sat down again.
USM President Pattenaude opened the ceremony with a short speech. He started by apologizing for the space, which, he said “was chosen more for its size than for its beauty.” He stood at the podium of a large temporary stage, bracketed by a painting of Jesus Christ on one side and by a priest, the priest’s assistant, and an Army chaplain on the other. Under the raised basketball hoops and industrial fans of the gym, he welcomed Christopher’s family and friends, Senators Olympia Snow and Susan Collins and Governer Baldacci, among others.
The Priest sung hymns and swung incense around the coffin and then at the crowd. The ablutions of the insense, he said “unites us all in faith on this sad, yet honorable occasion.”
“Love and life are stronger than hate and death,” he said. “Chris lives on, and he is in service to the Lord.”
The Army chaplain then gave his own sermon, which was partly a defense of the controversial war that took Gelineau’s life.
“Some of those present may be anti-war,” he said. “But none of you are more anti-war than those of us in here Uniform today.
“The only thing good about war is its end,” he said. “The only thing I can think of that’s worse than war is standing by while evil proliferates.”
He went on to describe Gelineau’s service in glowing terms.
“There are some soldiers who choose to give so much more than the minimum required of them,” he said. “Christopher was such a soldier.”
Brigadeer General John Libby of the Maine National Guard commanded the soldiers present to stand ready for orders and officially awarded the bronze star and purple heart to Christopher, as well as a posthoumous promotion from Specialist to Sergeant. Governer Baldacci then presented the Maine Flag to Lavinia.
The service concluded with eulogies by Lavinia herself, Christopher’s mother, and Christopher’s uncle.
“I haven’t cried for three days. You must be carrying me,” Lavinia said. She sighed heavily into the microphone. The priest drew near and stood behind her. She described how she met Christopher at Portland Hall two summers ago, how they had fallen in love, and how they had chosen their song: Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting.” She said she hadn’t liked it at first because it was too sad, but it was the only song Christopher could play on the guitar. The audience laughed in the ceremony’s only moment of levity. Lavinia then accompanied herself on the guitar and sung the song in a surprisingly strong voice.
“I always sing when I’m sad,” she said. “I never got a chance to sing for you because you always made me happy.”
Christopher Gelineau was later buried with full military honors at Portland’s Evergreen Cemetary.