Mayor asks community to line streets for heroic Georgia veteran

A Georgia mayor is asking his community to line the streets Friday to honor a retired Army National Guard officer being hailed as a hero.

Master Sgt. Mark Allen died Saturday 10 years after he was shot while searching for a soldier who deserted his post in Afghanistan. He was 46. The Purple Heart recipient lived in Loganville and is survived by his wife, two children and a grandson, along with other relatives and loved ones.

Loganville Mayor Rey Martinez visited with the Allen family on Monday afternoon. He has ordered the city’s flags lowered to half-staff for the week and is hoping community members will line the streets ahead of Friday’s funeral. It would be a fitting tribute, he said, to the veteran who served as grand marshal for the town’s Independence Day parade even after being wounded in combat.

RELATED: Georgia solider injured while searching for Bowe Bergdahl dies

“He was there, like a fighter. On that hot July day,” Martinez said. “And he fought all the way to the end.”

The Allen family declined to comment on his death. But close friends reflected on Allen’s courage, along with his family’s devotion to his care.

“We have very few American heroes left as a society,” said Kellee Hammond, a close family friend. “He was willing to sacrifice his life for all of us.”

Allen’s traumatic brain injury left him wheelchair-bound and unable to speak, but his spirit of service and sense of humor remained intact. Thanks to the dedication of his wife, Shannon, he remained a constant in his community and his children’s lives.

“He was able to share in their successes, come to their school plays, sporting events,” Hammond said. “He would come to Veterans Day at the school every year.”

Allen came home to Walton County years after being treated for his injuries in military hospitals.

“They are remarkable people,” said Robert Stokely, whose son served with Allen in Iraq. “I don’t know of any people that could do what they’ve done in these last 10 years.”

He got to know the Allens after his son, Mike Stokely, died in combat in 2005. The Allens became part of the support system that helped the Stokelys cope with Mike’s death.

“He and Shannon were just a wonderful couple,” he said. “Mark fought to live. Shannon fought to help him live. When the time came, he died peacefully, and that’s a blessing.”

Allen was part of a rescue mission on the hunt for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who walked off a U.S. military post and into the Taliban’s clutches in 2009. President Barack Obama negotiated Bergdahl’s release in 2014 in a swap for five Taliban detainees. In 2017, Bergdahl pleaded guilty to charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. He was dishonorably discharged but avoided prison time.

On Monday, loved ones focused only on Allen’s bravery and his wife’s devotion.

“It’s a story of courage and not giving up,” said Brittany Gordon, who recalls with admiration Shannon Allen bringing her husband to a local Boy Scout gathering a couple of years ago. Although Mark Allen couldn’t speak, he was able to communicate with his wife through sounds and gestures.

“When she was explaining what happened it really did captivate the boys,” Gordon said. “They learned about his courage to keep moving forward. I feel honored he was a part of our community.”

Gov. Brian Kemp offered his condolences in a social media post.

“Master Sgt. Mark Allen was a member of the Georgia National Guard⁩ 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team,” he said on Twitter. “He was a true American hero who will be missed by our entire country. Georgia First Lady (Marty Kemp), the girls, and I extend our⁩ thoughts and prayers to his loved ones.”

FUNERAL PLANS AND HOW TO HELP

Services for Master Sgt. Mark Allen are planned for this week. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Tim Stewart Funeral Home, 670 Tom Brewer Road in Loganville. The funeral is set for 11 a.m. Friday at the First Baptist Church of Snellville, 2400 Main Street East.

A drive to help with funeral costs and other expenses is online at GoFundMe.com. Search for "Mark Allen B/2-121 IN (L)." In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to The Independence Fund (independencefund.org), Folds Of Honor (foldsofhonor.org) or the Semper Fi Fund (semperfifund.org) in his honor.