A public motorcade is tentatively scheduled for Saturday afternoon, Jan. 28, in honor of a U.S. Marine from Ferndale who died last week in Afghanistan.
Barring a flight delay, the body of Daniel B. Bartle, 27, should arrive about 1 p.m. at Bellingham International Airport, followed by a procession from the airport to Westford Funeral Home, 1301 Broadway in Bellingham.
Daniel's brother, John Bartle, said people are welcome to line the route to honor the Marine. Details about the route were to be finalized Thursday, Jan. 26.
A public memorial will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday in the Ferndale High School auditorium.
A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Church of the Assumption, 2116 Cornwall Ave. That will be a smaller ceremony, but the public is invited.
Bartle, a Marine helicopter pilot, graduated valedictorian from Ferndale High School in 2002. His helicopter crashed Jan. 19 in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, leaving six Marines dead.
NATO officials said there were no signs of enemy activity in the area at the time, and a mechanical failure was being investigated as the cause of the crash, according to the Associated Press.
It will likely take a few months before the family receives more details about what caused the crash, John Bartle said.
In 2009, thousands of Whatcom County residents lined streets and overpasses as the body of Army Spc. Aaron Aamot of Custer was returned home. Aamot, 22, was killed when the vehicle he was in hit a bomb buried in the road in Afghanistan.
FLAGS TO FLY AT HALF-STAFF
Flags in Whatcom County will be flown at half-staff this weekend in honor of Capt. Daniel B. Bartle, a U.S. Marine from Ferndale who died in a helicopter crash last week in Afghanistan.
Flags will be lowered at all county buildings starting Friday morning, Jan. 27. They will remain at half-staff until the close of business Monday, Jan. 30, or first thing the following morning.
Businesses and residents are encouraged to participate.
County officials plan to place Bartle's name on the courthouse's memorial wall, but the time and date of the ceremony has not been set.
