An estimated 300 people attended the military funeral of Spec. 4 Samuel D. Stone, the 20-year-old Port Orchard National Guardsman who was killed in Iraq on May 30.
To the family’s relief, the anticipated protesters didn’t materialize.
“It was a wonderful service,” said Linda Chapler of Seattle, Stone’s aunt. “We thought there would be protesters outside, but no one saw any of them.”
Stone’s service was held at the First Lutheran Church in Port Orchard.
Prior to the service, there were indications that the Westboro Baptist Church, which regularly organizes protests at military funerals, had the Port Orchard service on their schedule.
Chapler said her sister Nancy Stone, the soldier’s mother, had said that she didn’t object to the protesters’ presence as long as they did not disrupt the service or bother the family.
However, the virtual army of veterans and motorcycle enthusiasts had a different idea.
Assembled to discourage any protesters, the group surrounded the church bearing flags and gathered around the church where the service was held in somber respect.
“We are here to honor a fallen soldier,” said Robert Jennings of Silverdale, who acted as the group’s leader. “A lot of us are veterans, but we are all people who care.”
An Internet post from Jennings said his group had been requested to provide security for the family, calling for volunteers to stand on the flag line. It listed the day’s schedule, including a morning meeting at Manchester State Park and the funeral itself.
Jennings estimated that about 100 of his people supported the effort, originating from around the state.
There was no implied threat against the protesters, he said “we do not acknowledge their existence.”
“The protesters should have been inside at the service,” said Vivian Henderson of Port Orchard, who attended because her son knew Stone. “That would have changed their minds.”
Chepler said many of the attendees were members of the local Alcoholics Anonymous chapter, and that the Manchester gathering was actually an AA meeting.
“The local AA community has been fantastic,” she said. “They cooked, and cleaned, and helped. Sammy wasn’t an alcoholic. He didn’t drink or take drugs. But he grew up in that world.”
The Westboro Church is no stranger to Port Orchard, having staged a protest in November 2007 at the funeral of a local soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.
The Westboro Church is no stranger to Port Orchard, having staged a protest in November 2007 at the funeral of a local soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.
At the time, the eight church members were overwhelmed by a counter-protest of about 200 people who took over the intersection of Bethel and Lund. Sheriff’s officers then found it necessary to escort the church members out of town for their own safety.
