LAFOLLETTE, Tenn. — A Campbell County native and U.S. Army four-star general lost his life on June 2.
General Carl Stiner passed away at 85 years old. He was a pillar in the development of the U.S. Special Operations Command, serving as the 2nd Commander.
Stiner served 35 years in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and Desert Storm. He eventually retired in 1993 and returned to Campbell County, where he grew up.
His funeral was held on Saturday inside the First Baptist Church of LaFollette. More than a hundred families, friends, community members, leaders, and military personnel came to pay their respects.
General Richard Clarke, the 12th Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, flew in for the ceremony.
"Words can't express the honor, the legacy... just the man that we're honoring today, and what he did for our great country should never be forgotten," said General Clarke.
General Clarke said he's stepped into General Stiner's role twice in his career. First as the command of the 82nd, and now, his current role as 12th Commander of U.S. Special Operations.
"To follow in a man's footsteps like general Stiner, it's a great honor," General Clarke said.
There were a number of things that stuck out about General Stiner to General Clarke.
"He made sure that he got down to the very last detail to make sure that very important missions were executed to the highest standard," Gen. Clarke said. "And he made sure that the U.S. was successful."
Other community members waited outside the church, hoping for a glimpse at the casket carrying a "local legend."
"We just wanted to come out to let the kids see that big heroes can come from small towns," said Shasta Monday.
Monday brought her family out to the corner across from the church. She and the children watched as the procession drove from the church to the cemetery.
"You don't get many of those people in your hometown, and you don't get many of those people nationwide," Monday said. "He was a really good ambassador for our town and our county and for the state of Tennessee."
The procession led to General Stiner's burial at Powell Valley Memorial Gardens.