Today has been very emotionally taxing. I feel as though I have been crying for a week. I attended the funeral of the father of two dear friends. He was killed in Iraq by small arms fire while leading a convoy across the desert. In addition to what I estimated to be around 1000 friends and family members, there were some unwelcome guests. A group of people from Nebraska came to protest his funeral and stood outside the church during the visitation last night. They believe that God is letting our soldiers die because of homosexuals in the army and because they fight for a country which allows homosexuality. What those crazy beliefs even have to do with the man who died I can't understand. They were outnumbered by far by a group called the patriot riders. They are a biker gang with chapters all over the country that goes to these funerals to protect the family peacefully. They believe it is the right thing to do, because we all know how our men in uniform were treated when they returned from Vietnam. They wan't to make sure that doesn't happen again.
I believe this man, like Christ, died for people who hated him. People in the US and Iraq that hate American soldiers. What greater love could there be?