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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Memorial Day is the day we honor our war dead, soldiers killed on the battlefield. <\/p>\n
But for the mother of one Mid-South soldier, this holiday is the day she grieves her son\u2019s death on the streets of Memphis while waging her own war to bring his killers to justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pray,\u201d Valerie Henderson told Action News 5, \u201cI know it\u2019s coming and it\u2019s so difficult because I relive the day I got the phone call.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was Memorial Day 2015 when Henderson\u2019s oldest son, 26-year-old Army Sgt. Calvin Wilhite, was gunned down near 4th and MLK in downtown Memphis after an exchange with two men cruising by in a silver-looking sedan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want him to be just a number,\u201d said Henderson, \u201che was a soldier. He served his country, training to go to Afghanistan two weeks before he was gunned down. So I want to keep his name alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The only photos of the suspects in the car, including the gunman leaning out of the window, are grainy and hard to make out. Despite expert analysis and forensic examination of the surveillance shots, no license plate number was ever visible.<\/p>\n
Seven years later there have still been no arrests in the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Memorial Day, only to be gunned down by FedExForum on Beale Street with thousands and thousands of people, and tourists and people that live here and for no one to come forward?\u201d said Henderson, \u201cIt\u2019s hard. It\u2019s hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every year on the anniversary of her son\u2019s death, Valerie and family members host a vigil near the spot where Calvin died, even gathering during the pandemic. She brings candles, bracelets and balloons to remember \u201cCoo,\u201d his nickname.<\/p>\n
Daughter Nevaeh, just 4 when her father was killed, is now almost 11.\u00a0 She\u2019s part of a close-knit family whose collective heart was torn out by street violence in Memphis.<\/p>\n
Valerie\u2019s pride and joy, a young man who served his country with honor, may be gone, but he is definitely not forgotten. His mother will keep fighting as long as it takes to make sure Coo\u2019s killers are caught. But she needs someone to come forward with information.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething small that you may think doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d she said, \u201cbut it does. It might be the missing link we need that the Memphis Police Department needs to put this together so we can bring those cowards to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
The family is offering a $20,000 reward in the case. Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward.\u00a0 If you now anything, you can report your tip to 901-528-CASH.<\/p>\n
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