Martinsville, IND. Buries a Soldier

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050829/NEWS01/508290394

City stands tall as war casualty is laid to rest
Martinsville residents line streets in support


By Rebecca Neal
.neal@indystar.com


MARTINSVILLE, Ind. -- Life came to a stop in this small community Sunday afternoon as thousands turned out to honor a soldier who died in Iraq.

A former Indianapolis resident, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Doyle, 24, never called Martinsville home. But people lined the streets of the city where his family now lives as his funeral procession wound through downtown on a sultry afternoon.

New South Park Cemetery is across the street from the funeral home where hundreds crowded inside, but folks here seemed to agree Doyle deserved a procession past the Martinsville War Memorial.

For 31/2 miles, families stood outside their homes. Some people brought lawn chairs to the curb. One young boy held aloft a sign that read, "Jeremy, you're my hero."

As the hearse crept through town, the only sound that could be heard above the idling engines was the buzz of cicadas.

A massive American flag waved over the courthouse square, suspended over the road by two cranes. Men held their hats over their hearts while veterans and uniformed soldiers saluted as the procession passed the war memorial.

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While the city turned out in support of the Doyles, six protesters associated with the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas demonstrated outside the funeral home. Members of the group, which has a history of picketing funerals of military personnel killed by roadside explosives, held signs such as "God blew up the troops" and "Thank God for dead soldiers."