A bittersweet goodbye

This past Saturday, I ventured south to Brandon to witness history (or so I thought). Over a week ago, Marine Staff Sgt. Jason Rogers of Brandon was killed in Afghanistan while pulling two fellow soldiers to safety. His funeral was set for 3 p.m. at Pinelake Baptist Church in Brandon.

In the hours after the funeral time was set, members of Westboro Baptist Church, known for their hate of the U.S. Government and homosexuals, announced that they would protest near the grounds of Pinelake Church at 2:15 p.m., a mere 45 minutes before the funeral service began. I expected to see something horrible — something that would make me sick to my stomach.

What I saw on that day, though, was something that I will truly never forget.

At about 2 p.m., I drove around the immediate area of Pinelake in an effort to find the Westboro protesters. I made some phone calls, but no one had heard anything about the whereabouts of the Topeka, Kan.-based group.

Around 2:30 p.m., the road ahead of me was closed, obviously for the soldier’s processional.

Instead of turning around, I decided to park and stand on the side of the road to await what I thought would be a special moment. The crowd that had gathered on the road was massive. One Jackson reporter said that there were 5,000 people in a two-mile radius.

A thundering sound grew louder and louder as the crowd gazed up the road. A few seconds later, everyone placed their hands over their hearts and became gravely silent. Over 500 motorcycles, patriotically decorated and driven by veterans and their families, led the processional and made their way to the church.

Following the motorcycles were the white hearse and the immediate family members of the soldier. Following the family members were about 10 church vans full of Marines in their dress blues.

I will not forget the tears streaming down the faces of these Marines.

Jenny Smith, the mother of Sgt. Rogers, later said, “The Marines were overwhelmed — these tough guys who had been through all these battles — they had tears streaming down their faces in silence.”

One of the most touching parts of the day was seeing all the ordinary people along the roadside, supporting this family and this country.

Decked out in red, white and blue, these people, most of whom did not even know the soldier, waved American flags with their left hands while their right hands covered their hearts and occasionally wiped tears from their faces. As no one spoke a word or made a sound, the hearse slowly drove by.

It was enough to choke up the strongest of souls.

As the processional ended, people remained exactly where they were, almost as if they were frozen. Life was put into perspective for everyone there, and everything else in life disappeared for a few minutes.

This was a life-changing event for many people.

In possibly the greatest story of “good versus evil” that one could experience, I knew that people would be immediately affected.

Westboro Baptist Church protesters did not make their presence known at all.

Instead, thousands upon thousands of patriots of this great country did. Once again, “good” has prevailed over “evil.” It was not even a close race.

On Saturday, I felt the most pride for this country that I have ever felt before, and I know I was not alone.

Whether or not you support the government or the war situation or even the American way of life, you cannot help but feel proud of our country in a situation like this.

Who says American pride is dead? Not me, and not one of the thousands of people who were in Brandon on Saturday.

Maybe we should do a little less hating on the war and a little more appreciating those who are giving up everything for us. Staff Sgt. Jason Rogers is just one of the thousands who have exceeded the unimaginable, and his effect on those who attended his funeral will never be diminished.