Last Edited:  23 May 2008

The Funeral of 

PFC Phillip B. Williams (21)

Gardnerville, NV

21OCT06

Protected by the Patriot Guard Riders

Soundtrack adaptation titled "Flying High"
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    The CNN reporter would have you believe he stumbled upon a terrorist sniper in Iraq.  The CNN reporter would have you believe that not crying for help to save the lives of the soldiers was all part of his duty to film and interpret the terrorist point of view.  I would have you believe that a CNN reporter arranged a meeting near a US base in Iraq.  A meeting that was arranged for the sole purpose of murdering one of our young men in uniform.  The reporter, and his crew, filmed and translate the terrorist's words.  We watch a terrorist sniper rise from a car, target a US soldier, then after having his words translated and his message broadcast ... he fires.  A US soldier is hit and falls to the ground dead in front of the CNN camera.  The CNN reporter calls it journalism.  I call it murder.

    Last week, a son of my community was killed by a sniper.  Was he the one murdered by CNN?  I do not know.  As the family prepared to lay their son to rest, amidst charges of murder gone without prosecution, a group of religious zealots, that hate the United States and its military, made plans to disrupt the funeral and defame PFC Phillip B. Williams.  He had paid the ultimate sacrifice to freedom, and his family bears the deep bone weary sadness of a child lost.  Not just any child, but their proud strong and special son ... all the worse.  Lincoln made it clear that there is no way to beguile the grief from the family of a fallen soldier.  The people of our community and the Patriot Guard Riders decided that this sacrifice was too special to have its memory destroyed by zealots seeking to worsen the burden of this poor grieving family.  I have never been so thankful for the sacrifice made by any others, than the sacrifice made by this family.  I went to the funeral to act as a human shield, but I was reduced to tears by the members of our community; the members of several police forces from surrounding cities and counties; and the Patriot Guard Riders.

    The road leading to the cemetery was lined for half a mile with folks holding US flags. Down the road to the left you can see neighbors on horseback holding flags.

The Military Prepares:

The escort arrives down a street lined for half a mile with people holding flags
(neighborhood folks on horseback with flags down on the left):

The Hearse And Family Arrives:

Followed by a half mile of state, county, and city police units from hundreds of miles surrounding
(ending with a fire unit's ladder truck):

Then came a full mile of Patriot Guard Riders with their flags:

I suppose the zealots decided against any disruption.  I must thank them for galvanizing our community.

    Had you been there, the police lights flashing from their vehicles that stretched for half a mile was astounding ... the pictures do not do it justice.  The pictures just cannot capture the grandeur and length of these processions.  When we first arrived to the area, we noticed police had secured the area with units surrounding the grounds.

There is nothing we can do but to say thank you to PFC Williams and the family which survives him.