They came to protect a family most had never met from a small group of protesters they knew only by reputation.
Nearly 1,000 people, strangers, mostly, stood guard outside the funeral services of Spc. Gary L. Nelson III Friday morning at Woodstock's St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. The protesters, from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, didn't show, but the impromptu human buffer zone erected to keep the zealots at bay remained, even though their mission had changed.
"I couldn't let something like this happen in our community," said Navy veteran Shawn Kwak, of Woodstock. "This community has turned out real well. It means a lot to the family and myself. That's what it's all about ... our ability to be good to one another and the people around us."
No one knew, or much cared, what kept the Westboro protesters -- most of whom are members of founder Fred Phelps' large immediate family -- from attending. The Phelps' and their acolytes have made a habit of protesting at the funerals of fallen service members like Nelson, claiming they died in vain defending "a nation of sodomite hypocrites."
After the Topeka church announced their intention to protest, the community responded in kind. On Facebook, Operation Block Westboro called on supporters to stand along Arnold Mill Road outside the church to "show respect and gratitude for a fallen hero and his family."
"The anti-war protesters that were supposed to be at his funeral today ... they wouldn't have the freedom in this country if it wasn't for brave men and women like Gary [who] risked their lives every day for your freedom, for my freedom, for our freedom," said Kimberly Jameson, a neighbor of the Nelson family.
Nelson was killed Tuesday in Iraq by injuries sustained in a non-combat incident, the Department of Defense announced. The 20-year-old was serving on his first deployment, assigned to the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
"He chose to give up that selfishness that characterizes so many other young people, and even their parents who do not consider military service a decent profession for their selves," said Maj. General Mark MacCarley , deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve, First Army, from Fort Gillem. "This courageous act, of enlisting in the Army at war, is what dramatically distinguishes Spc. Nelson from so many of his peers. He deserves the heartfelt gratitude of all Americans for his military service during his short, but truly meaningful life."
Following the service, Nelson was buried at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton. Many of the young soldier's self-appointed guardians followed his casket to its final resting place, determined he receive a quiet, and respectful, send-off.
"There have been no reports of [the protesters] anywhere near the funeral home or cemetery," said Cherokee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Howard Baker. "Fortunately."
Mission accomplished.
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