LCpl. Aaron Pickering (KIA)

(reprinted from the Southern Illinoisan, November 18, 2004)

MARINE MEMORIES: FAMILY, FRIENDS RECALL AARON PICKERING'S LIFE OUTSIDE THE SERVICE

BY JOHN D. HOMAN
THE SOUTHERN

MARION -- Long after the tears have been wiped from their eyes.

Long after the first snowfall hits the region.

Long after American troops withdraw from Iraq and head home, Lisa and Sam Short will have nothing but pleasant memories of their beloved son, Aaron Pickering.

Although they will never again get to hold their son close, talk to him about his golf game, cook an early morning breakfast for him before he goes hunting, or tell him how proud they are of him, the Shorts can at least take solace in the fact their son touched the lives of many in wondrous ways.

"Aaron lived every moment to its fullest," said Lisa Short who is doing her best to maintain a brave front. "He had good values and a strong faith. He was also a very compassionate young man. We are going to miss him dearly."

Sam Short described his son, affectionately referred to as "Slick" by mom and dad because of his ability to elude trouble at times, as "a pure leader with more confidence than anyone would ever know and a champion with a heart the size of Texas."

First cousin Matt Killman, a former Marine and now a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, said his cousin was "as tough as they come," but also possessed "a good heart."

As a youngster, Aaron attended Washington Elementary School in Marion. He later attended junior high in Marion and his first two years of high school there before transferring to Harrisburg in the spring of his sophomore year.

Lisa, who was proudly wearing a gray Marines T-shirt, thumbed through one of her son's scrapbooks Wednesday. There were pictures of her son clearing a hurdle in a track meet and an article detailing his accomplishments as a golfer. Pickering also played baseball in the summer and basketball in the city's winter youth program.

It was golf, however, where he excelled. By the time he was a senior, Pickering was a state qualifier.

"I guess I'm the one who got him started because I used to play," Lisa said. "I'd take both Aaron and Carrie out to the driving range, but golf wasn't enough of a social event for Carrie, so she quickly lost interest. Aaron liked it, though."

Sam said that when Aaron became a teenager he was competing head-to-head with adults.

"That's the way Aaron wanted it," Sam said. "He wasn't just satisfied beating boys his own age; he wanted to beat the men. And, he did, too, quite often."

Lisa said she and her husband took Aaron to the U.S. Open in Pebble Beach, Calif., in 2000 where Aaron got a close view of Tiger Woods in action. Three years later, the family traveled to Augusta, Ga., for the Masters and Aaron not only got to shake Woods' hand, but walked with him for several paces as the two carried on a brief conversation.

"That was Aaron. He was never scared of anything," Lisa said.

As much as he enjoyed driving a Titleist down the middle of a plush fairway, Pickering was perhaps even more drawn to the outdoors, spending many hours in the woods hunting rabbits, squirrels, waterfowl and deer. Or, he could be found in a boat with his buddies fishing for bass.

"If Aaron went fishing and his buddies caught two fish, you could just about bet he'd caught 12," Sam said. "And if anybody got a goose, it was probably Aaron. He just had a knack for hunting and fishing. He was a goose guide for the Tom Burns Hunting Club when he was a freshman in high school. He even went to Maryland and won a junior goose-calling competition."

On a more serious side, Pickering couldn't wait to graduate high school so that he could join the Marines. It was something he set his sights on years before. Some of that could be attributed to his older cousin, Matt, who had already served.

"Matt was his hero," said Sam.

When stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., for specialized training before being assigned to Iraq, Pickering called home and told his mother to send him a money order in the amount of $450.

"Aaron told me that his buddy's mom and dad had just split up and his mom didn't have enough money to pay the rent even after what money their son could send her," Lisa said. "That's what I'm talking about with Aaron. He was so good-hearted. He cared about others more than he cared about himself."

Lisa said that when she had the opportunity to talk to her son on the phone, she would never tell him goodbye.

"No, it was always 'Good night,' or 'Talk to you later,' something like that," she said.

Aaron's grandmother, Chlola Killman, was also a big part of her son's life.

"My mom never found fault with anything any of her grandchildren did," Lisa said. "There were many times she'd get up early in the morning and make Aaron breakfast before he went hunting. She even went out of her way once to find someone who could show Aaron how to clean a squirrel."

Sam said he was careful not to get too critical of the kids in front of Chlola.

"If I did, she'd growl at me like a dog," he said.

Several of Pickering's former classmates at Harrisburg remember their friend as a free-spirited, fun-loving sort, who was easy to talk to and thoughtful of others.

"Aaron was always so fun to be around," said Kate Nelson. "He had that sparkle in his eyes. Several of us would hang out together and go on drives. I remember one time when he picked some wild flowers and gave all of us girls one. He was very thoughtful."

And not one to run away from a confrontation.

"It was Senior Skip Day and there was a party at my house," Nelson said. "When my parents came home, everyone started running off, but not Aaron. He went to his truck, grabbed his pool cue and challenged my dad to a game. That's just the way he was."

Hayley Kotner said she will miss her good friend.

"We had a great time together," she said. "Losing him is such a tragedy and shock. I couldn't believe it, or at least, I didn't want to believe it. Aaron was a true gentleman."

Mikayla Craig said she can remember a prank Aaron was a part of at the expense of another friend.

"We bought the biggest pair of pink-colored women's cotton panties we could find and planted them in our friend's truck," Craig said. "Aaron then started asking our friend about the panties to embarrass him. We liked doing those kind of pranks on each other. We had a lot of fun."

Jonathan Troutt said he spent many hours fishing and hunting with Pickering, along with Daniel Henderson and John Potts.

"This is very difficult for us," he said. "Aaron was a close friend."

Whitney Morber said she and Aaron had history class together and the two visited from time to time.

"It's devastating to know he's gone," she said. "We had such a great time hanging out together as a group."