CORINTH – Funeral services for a Mississippi soldier killed in combat in Afghanistan have been set for today, March 8, at the Crossroads Arena in Corinth. Staff Sgt. William Seth Ricketts, 27, of Corinth, died on Feb. 27, at Bala Murghab, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.
Ricketts was serving his third tour in Afghanistan.
Ricketts’ body arrived at Roscoe Turner Airport in Corinth early Saturday morning, where it was transported to Memorial Funeral Home in preparation for services on Monday at noon.
Burial will follow at Corinth National Cemetery
WTVA reported that hundreds of supporters and mourners lined the streets from the airport to the funeral home Saturday morning holding homemade signs, American flags and yellow ribbons. Ricketts was escorted by local police and the Patriot Riders, a motorcycle group that rides in processions bringing soldiers home.
The Department of Defense said Ricketts was in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, WTVA reported.
Ricketts was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
A Defense Department press release said Ricketts was in his fifth tour of duty in support of the War on Terror.
Besides his three tours in Afghanistan, Ricketts also served two tours in Iraq, and received numerous commendations for his service.
Ricketts is the first soldier to die in Afghanistan from northeast Mississippi.
He is survived by his wife, Suzanna, two sons, William and Oliver, and his parents, William and Sandra Ricketts of Glen, Miss.
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