Army Cpl. Jeremy Jones’ Family Should be Left to Mourn Privately
OMAHA, Neb. — Army Cpl. Jeremy Jones will be buried Saturday with full military honors. It’s a service that will attract dozens of protesters to Omaha along with a contingent that plans to buffer Jones’ family from their message.
A roadside bomb in Iraq killed the Omaha man on June 27. As his family gathers to say goodbye to Jones, members of a Kansas church will protest nearby.
Unfortunately, the story of these protesters has come up more than once here in the Midwest.
The Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church said it plans to share its anti-gay message at Jones’ funeral. Westboro Church leaders feel God is killing U.S. soldiers for defending a nation that tolerates homosexuality.
Growing up Baptist, I am absolutely puzzled about this church group’s behavior and judgments. A man died fighting for the very freedoms they have to protest and speak out and they thank him by subjecting his grieving family and friends to their insulting remarks that don’t even apply to this man’s situation or circumstance. When will they understand that a funeral for a fallen soldier is about the fallen and not about their twisted cause? Never, of course, because to them it *is* about them.
With a new law in Nebraska requiring protests to remain 300 or more feet away from funeral services and a group planning to shield the family and friends from the protesters, my hope is that Jones’ family and friends will be allowed to honor him privately and with the respect and dignity he deserves.
At the same time, a group of bikers called the Patriot Guard said they planned to protect Jones’ family and shield them from the hateful words of protestors. More than 300 guard members plan to stand between the protesters and the church where the funeral will take place.
Guard members traveled to Omaha from Iowa, Minnesota and Kansas. Many of them are military veterans, like Cliff Leach. “Every time I do one of these it’s a Band-Aid on my heart,” Leach said.
Leach said the group’s mission is to support military families and give fallen soldiers the respect they’ve earned.
The Jones family is in my thoughts and prayers. My hope is that Westboro Baptist Church figures out that their prayers would be much more meaningful than their protests.
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