Arriving an hour early, I chose a seat in the back row of the empty church. Three Marines stood at attention at the 
entryway and 5 more stood at attention behind the casket at the back of the church. Inside the church, over the altar 
and staring out into the empty church, was the face of a handsome young man in a Marine uniform. It was the image 
from the standard military photo ... shaved head, crisp uniform, Marine cap and the military stare. I sat and prayed for him. 

Unlike two groups outside, I wasn't there to protest. I just felt that we should attend the funerals of the young men 
who we send to battle. 

The eulogy was given by a Marine friend who had been room mates with Jeffry in Seattle. The roommate told funny 
stories about how they had first met -- touching stories about how Jeffry had described his family -- stories that people 
share when they are a long way from home for the first time. The roommate was very close to Jeffry's family. He had 
spent Christmas '04 with them in Oklahoma City and they had chosen him to be the one to greet the casket as it 
returned to the United States -- he was the one who escorted Jeffry back home. 

Although the hands of the young Marine were shaking, and there were times when he had to pause to calm himself, 
he did a wonderful job and a great service to the family. "I wasn't there when he was born -- or when he took his 
first step. I wasn't there when he got his drivers license or graduated from high school. But I watched him mature 
into a fine young man -- and I bought him his first beer when he turned 21. We became so close that I feel like he 
was my brother." At the end he said that "up to this point in my life, this is the most important thing I have ever done." 

Jeffry Alan Rogers was a handsome young man. Born January 26, 1984, he had volunteered to join the Marines 
just out of high school. The minister said that "911 had a great impact on Jeffry." Apparently, he had joined the 
Marines to fight against those who would fly airplanes into our buildings. He had a girlfriend and had purchased a ring. 
He planned to propose to her when he got back home. Jeffry was excited when he described the ring to roommate 
(now 13,000 miles apart) "do you think she will like this one?" 

There were about 400 people in the public seating area and about 80 people in the Family Section. Mom and Dad 
and the roommate were the first to enter the church as the funeral began -- followed by a throng of about 80 aunts 
and uncles, nephews and close friends. One of Jeffry's uncles was in the Navy and he also gave a eulogy about how 
much the boy had matured into a man in the last 3 years. 

The music was more Country than Religious. "Have You Forgotten about 911 and when the towers fell"; 
"If I Die Before You Wake" was played as a series of 20 photos from Iraq (soldiers giving 'high fives' to Iraqi children 
and soldiers writing letters home). "I Can Only Imagine" was played as the ushers began to guide everyone out of the 
church. I couldn't place the song at first, but while walking out I realized that Kyle Earhart had sung that song at the 
Rodeo Opry on October 22. I could picture Kyle's energy and emotion as the congregation walked somberly from the church. 

Outside the church, after just hearing about how spoiled this kid had been (only child, loving parents who wanted to 
give him everything), and after hearing about all of the fancy cars that he had had in high school, I reached in between 
the funeral personnel to touch the vehicle that would take him the last few miles of his journey. [The last ride is 
significant to me -- I was very impressed that friends from Joplin drove their mom's casket in the back of a pickup 
from Joplin to Springfield 41 years ago]. 

The funeral was much more memorable than I had expected. I hope I don't have the opportunity to attend another one 
-- but each soldier, and each family, should have the support of every person in the city. 

There should be more people at these funerals than are at the The OU/OSU football games. 

Various observations: 

The guy in front of me was became irritated when he saw the 3 guys from the motorcycle gang in the back of the church. 
He calmed down when I told him that they were here to protect the family from abuse and that they came here like the 
rest of us -- to honor the young man. 

The minister told of how, in second grade, Jeffry decided that the word "stupid" was hurtful and should not be used
-- so they developed a code word -- they would use the word "purple" when they were talking about stupid people. 
The minister said that the group of protesters outside the church (with the GodHatesFags and GodHatesAmerica websites) 
were simply "purple." 

One boy in the row in front of me must have had a strong private connection to Jeffry -- he was misty throughout the 
ceremonies. He was Jeffry's age -- perhaps a high school friend. On reflection, I am surprised that this boy was one 
of the very few people Jeffry's age at the service. Most of the attendees were over fifty. Where were his friends? 

Although I only saw 3 members of the motorcycle gang inside the church during the ceremony, there were 10 of them 
lined up outside to salute the hearse (and the entire line of relatives' cars) as the procession left the church parking lot. 

A beautiful young girl sitting with the roommate held an infant -- was this the roommate's child or Jeffry's child? 

The motorcycle riders were from an organization at www.patriotguard.org -- their mission statement is to: attend 
the funeral services of fallen American military heroes. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives. 
1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities. 
2. Protect the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors. 

Turning on the radio as I left the church, the newscaster mentioned that a Marine funeral was going on in Oklahoma City. 

At Burger King I overheard 4 high school kids complaining about how hard their life is. 
They have no idea. 

News articles mention that he was in Operation Steel Curtain in Ubaydi, Iraq. 

The Oklahoma News named the roommate as Nicholas J. Jankiewicz 

PS: Except for the motorcycle riders, I felt that most of the funeral was scripted by the military. 
The choice of music, the pictures of happy kids in Iraq, the references to September 11 -- and perhaps 
even a large part of the eulogy. Jankiewicz was definitely speaking from his heart, but I had a feeling 
that he was interjecting true stories into a script. 

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