Gold Star Mother Barbara Bilbrey kneels in the snow at St. Patrick’s Cemetery on a cold Saturday afternoon to place a remembrance wreath at the grave of her fallen hero son.
Twenty one year old Army Specialist Charles E. Bilbrey Jr. was killed on July 26, 2007 when a makeshift bomb exploded near his vehicle in Saqlawiyah, Iraq, in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He had volunteered for the mission that claimed his life.
The 2005 Owego Free Academy graduate is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. Owego Free Academy Principal Ronald Pierce said Spec. Bilbrey left a lasting legacy of patriotism, respect and leadership at the school.
The Gold Star Bilbrey Family, to include mother Barbara, father Charles, and sister Shannon and brother Patrick, also placed a wreath at the entrance to St. Patrick’s Cemetery in the Town of Tioga as part of Wreaths Across America in Tioga County and the Valley.
