military funeral news stories on Newser

Dead Marine's Dad on Court: A Goat Has More Sense

John Johnson — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:33:11 CST

The father of the dead Marine whose lawsuit was at the center of the Supreme Court's ruling on Westboro Baptist Church's right to protest funerals remains understandably ticked off at the "nut-job church," reports the York Dispatch . “We can no longer bury our dead in this country with dignity,” said...

Gloating Westboro Vows to Quadruple Protests

Rob Quinn — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:46:47 CST

The Westboro Baptist Church reacted to its Supreme Court victory yesterday with its usual amount of tact and good grace. Gloating leaders of the Kansas-based extremist church vowed to quadruple the number of protests at military funerals now that the court has ruled such demonstrations are protected under the First...

Supreme Court: Westboro Protests Protected

Polly Davis Doig — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:19:03 CST

John Roberts' Supreme Court ruled 8-1 today that the controversial Westboro Baptist Church pickets outside military funerals might be "outrageous," but they're also protected under the First Amendment. The ruling upholds a reversal of a lower court's $5 million award to a dead Marine's father, who sued Westboro members after...

Guy Pepper-Sprays Westboro Group at Funeral

Emily Rauhala — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:13:41 CDT

Those appalled by the tactics of the Westboro Baptist Church have a new folk hero: An Omaha man yesterday drove by as the group protested the funeral of a Marine killed in Afghanistan, reached out his window and pepper-sprayed them. George Vogel, 62, faces 16 charges of misdemeanor assault, one...

General on Funeral Duty: 'Grief Is the Crushing Load'

Kevin Spak — Mon, 26 May 2008 12:33:12 CDT

At every funeral for a soldier killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, an Army officer attends, to represent the service and oversee the military rituals involved. Maj. Gen. William Troy has drawn funeral duty 23 times, and for Memorial Day, he writes in the Washington Post about an always-wrenching experience : "You...

Soldier Laid to Rest After 4 Years

Caroline Zimmerman — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:27:44 CDT

Thousands attended emotional memorial services over the weekend for an Ohio Army reservist whose remains made the journey home 4 years after he was captured in Iraq. Ten thousand filed past Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin's casket, and 3,000 attended a ceremony at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati yesterday,...

Army Cadet Found After 66 Years

Nick McMaster — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:55:00 CDT

Sixty-six years after his disappearance, a full military funeral is planned for a cadet lost in a flight accident during World War II, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Army has identified a recently discovered body as Aviation Cadet Ernest Munn of Ohio, who crashed with three other crewmen in...